Unbreakable Connections
by xXxAnGeLFLoNnExXx
Summary: Sora and Riku both failed in the Mark of Mastery. On their second attempt with Kairi, they are to investigate the fading lights of the worlds. However, the Unversed returned along with an old enemy. Xehanort is looking for 16 shards. Everything they knew just became complicated. Connections from the past are revealed, along with the truth of Kingdom Hearts and Ventus.
1. Ch 1: A forgotten tale

**My loyal readers out there are probably bashing me for not updating my KHR fics. Well, I needed to get this outta my head. Enjoy reading!**

**R & R, anyone?**

* * *

**Chapter 1: A forgotten tale**

* * *

A cloaked figure stood in front of Castle Oblivion. The person lifted the hood slightly and revealed enough for someone to be able to tell that this figure was female. The young woman walked to the entrance when another cloaked person appeared.

"Hold it right there." Her sleeve was grabbed. The woman pulled back her arm and jumped away. Bodies of water and beams of light materialized. She glared at the cloaked man.

He waved his arms protectively. "H-Hey, I'm not here to fight." The person removed his hood and revealed an adult with red hair with green eyes. The woman's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"The name's Lea. L-E-A. Got it memorized?" She held her stance but nonetheless lowered her guard a bit.

Lea sighed. "Can I ask what you are doing around our previous second HQ?"

"Whatever my business here is entirely confidential."

Lea shook his head. "That's not a valid answer. Unless you tell me the truth," He summoned his Keyblade. "I can't let you pass."

"See this?" The cloaked female asked while summoning a Keyblade of her own. "I'll use it to force my way in and no one can stop me from doing so."

The redhead smirked. Feisty woman, this person was. "Bring. It. On."

They clashed, metal hitting metal. Every strike was filled with power, both of their weapons were glowing under the dark rainy sky.

Both seemed evenly-matched to the untrained eye; in reality, the woman had the upper hand. The former Nobody was having a hard time pushing her back. _'I'll be able to beat her if this battle stays the same.'_

Unfortunately, the female was far too strong for him. Light gathered around her Keyblade and both the weapon and the wielder were covered by a bright shine. When it died down, her Keyblade was glowing even brighter and it was floating in mid-air.

She charged at him, manipulating the floating weapon with motions of her arms and hands. After blocking her attacks, Lea's eyes widened. _'This is bad.'_ "Take this!" The female announced and held her Keyblade once more. At the moment the woman grasped it, she started to spin rapidly; effectively making the redhead fly across the ground. _'What the hell was that?'_

The cloaked woman was finally finished. She then used the opportunity to go inside.

Axel, or Lea, rubbed his bruised back and groggily stood up. "Wait!" But she already entered and was immediately out of his sight. "Man, she sure was fast." _'Who was she anyway? And I didn't get any info out of her.'_ He shook his head. "There's no time for this. I have to follow her." Lea ran inside.

* * *

The woman walked around the dark corridors of the castle. She wandered around, searching for something important. _'Where is it?'_

Her eyes under the hood glowed, reflecting the moonlight and shining stars outside the window. Noticing it, she had a sad smile. "Together… always. We'll be reunited again, I promise." When the female paused in her venture, she gasped silently.

The person sensed an unwelcome presence in the area. Her eyes narrowed, glinting dangerously. "That presence…" And she ran off further inside, not knowing that Lea finally found her and was following.

The redhead hummed to himself. _'What is she doing here?'_

* * *

Sora clenched his fists as he stared at the tall tower with determination in his eyes. It was making him quite nervous, since it's his and Riku's 2nd attempt. It also didn't help that he had a bad feeling for the past few days. _'I hope nothing goes wrong with this one.'_

On his left, Riku stood stiff in anticipation. He couldn't wait for the exam. Not only that, his best friends are going to take it with him. After the whole test, all three of them would be official Keyblade masters. There was also the added bonus that he would be able to fix everything he caused when he was consumed by the darkness. _'The darkness can't bother me anymore.'_

On Sora's right was Kairi. Being a princess of Heart, she didn't want to be useless and rescued like a damsel in distress. If she passes this exam, she can have more power to defend herself and pay back the debts she owed to her two good friends who constantly protect her. _'This time, it's my turn to protect you two.'_

After a bout of silence, King Mickey appeared before the trio; clutching his original Keyblade, Star Seeker. Standing by his sides were Donald and Goofy, both with proud grins on their faces.

"Master Yen Sid is waiting inside. Come." The mouse king-slash-Keyblader went inside, his two loyal partners following after. The trio looked at each other before doing the same.

* * *

The woman ran and was now in front of a dead end. She growled and summoned her Keyblade. She shot out a ray of light to the middle and a Keyhole appeared. She unlocked it.

The wall caved in and revealed an empty throne room. She approached the chair, staring at the chair. The woman sneered. "Stop hiding. I know you're here, Vanitas."

A dark miasma gathered around her, and she did a cartwheel to get away. A cynical laughter resounded in the room. "Well, well, well. Look at who decided to visit."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a visit since there's no one to return to," She said.

"You have a point." And the voice revealed himself to be a masked person, wearing a dark helmet and a black body suit. "You're still as uptight as I remembered, Xertha."

"Shut up." The newly named Xertha growled and pointed her Keyblade at him. "Now, tell me what you want. You purposefully met me back at Radiant Garden to spite me, didn't you?"

The masked male laughed. "That's right. I was curious as to how you are now." Darkness started to gather at his hands. "It seems you're still weak from your awakening."

"And what do you want?"

Lea stayed in his hiding place as the two continued their conversation. Vanitas simply summoned his Keyblade, Void Gear. "All I'm here is…" He ran to strike her down. "to kill you!" Xertha blocked him and jumped back.

She murmured something before raising her Keyblade in the air. "Away with you!" Multiple balls of fire rapidly came out, hitting Vanitas successfully.

"Che, you never showed this when we last fought." The masked boy commented, after he was slammed to a nearby wall. "Were you holding back at that time?"

Xertha's eyes seemed to glow. "That's because I still haven't learned it yet. I managed to master it after defeating you." When she was about to attack, Vanitas disappeared in a dark portal which opened underneath him.

"We'll see each other again, Xertha." She clicked her tongue in annoyance. _'He got away, damn it.'_ She turned to the entrance. "I know you're there, Lea."

The redhead chuckled nervously as he came out from his hiding spot. "How did you know?" The hooded woman waved her finger mockingly. "Tsk, tsk. You were too loud. I could hear your footsteps from a mile away."

He scratched the back of his head. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"My friend," She said. "He taught me." Lea sighed. "And just how?"

"I heard you from the wind. Breathing, footsteps… every movement." She gave him a pointed stare. "What do you want?"

* * *

As they ascended the long winding stairs, Sora's nervousness grew. Donald and Goofy snickered at the side, noticing his tense expression. The dog knight smiled and patted the brunet's back. "Gawsh, Sora. There's no need to be so tense."

"Yeah, better not lose focus before the exam." Donald chided. Before Sora could even retort—

"We're here." Mickey announced. He knocked on the door. "Master, they've arrived."

"Come in." A booming voice said.

When they opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of an elderly man in sorcerer robes; similar to what Merlin wore.

"As you may have known, I am Master Yen Sid. Though I casted away my Keyblade, that doesn't mean I can't fight with it anymore." He paused for a moment, observing the three youngsters. "Now that you're here, let us start the Mark of Mastery exam."

He stood up and crossed his arms. "With this exam, we will see which one of you has earned the mark. Remember, this is no competition— only one of you may pass, everyone, or none at all."

Yen Sid paced around the room. "For your test, you have only one thing to do." He took out the Star Shard Mickey once borrowed, about a decade ago. "I want you to help us with our search for three missing Keyblade masters."

Mickey was surprised. "Master Yen Sid, sir. I thought only Aqua was the master among them."

The sorcerer rubbed his chin. "To become a master, one must either go through the Mark of Mastery exam or get accepted by the Keyblade they wield. All three of them had proven that during the Second Keyblade War."

"Keyblade War? What's that?" Riku inquired.

"Almost twelve years ago, there was a man named Xehanort." The teens gasped.

"Isn't he kind of young? If it were twelve years ago, he would be a little kid or at least a teenager about our age." Kairi exclaimed in surprise. "Don't tell me that he was already causing trouble at that time."

"A kid? The Xehanort we know is an old man." Mickey piped in. "Is it possible that there is more than one of him?" He looked at his master in confusion.

"No, it is not. However, there is only one logical explanation for his… sudden youthfulness if we are talking about the same person."

"And that would be?" The silveret asked. The sorcerer sighed. "He possessed someone with a heart whose susceptible to darkness." He turned to stare at Riku. "Someone who faced it and lived with at least a tiny bit of light left in their heart." The teen flinched at the intensity of the man's gaze.

"Then who would that be?" The duck mage asked.

"We're getting off-topic here." Yen Sid commented. "Let me finish my tale and we can continue our speculations." They immediately quieted down.

"Xehanort caused the Second Keyblade War in order to achieve the ultimate power over light and darkness, Kingdom Hearts." Mickey felt dread as the memories came back to him. He looked down at the ground in sadness. _'I wasn't able to help them back then.'_

"He was after the legendary x-blade, which was said to open the door towards it. The x-blade originated from the first war, when all the worlds were still connected; back when people did not fight for the light and Keyblade wielders were abundant." On the background, Donald and Goofy were passing a bowl of popcorn to their king and the trio.

"Xehanort used three Keyblade wielders similar to you. Their names were Terra, Ventus, and Aqua." The names rung a bell to the teens, especially Sora. _'Those names, they're so familiar…'_

"The three tried to put an end to his plans. However, he had powerful allies on his side. That would be Vanitas, Braig, and the Unversed."

"Unversed?" Kairi asked. When she heard the word, the redhead felt something inside of her stir. _'Did I happen to encounter them once?' _The sorcerer looked at Mickey, and the king knew that he had to explain about them.

"Vanitas is the darkness inside Ventus's heart. Xehanort forcibly took him out, damaging Ven's remaining half badly. Braig is Xigbar's Somebody. Last, the Unversed are creatures born from darkness; and they all come from a strong source of it. Majority of them were born from Vanitas, who was pure darkness." Mickey sat down on the chair, forcing the painful memories in the back of his mind.

Sora was the first to react. "Why would Xehanort want to separate Vanitas from Ventus?"

"Good question." Yen Sid continued his tale. "In order to forge the x-blade, a strong heart of light and a strong heart of darkness must clash with each other and merge. According to Xehanort's journal which we found back at the castle in Radiant Garden, he saw great darkness in Ventus and actually wanted him to forge it by fighting one of Master Eraqus's pupils."

Before he could continue, Riku butted in the middle. "Who's Master Eraqus?"

This time, Donald answered. "Eraqus is a Keyblade master like Master Yen Sid. His pupils were Terra and Aqua."

Faking a cough, the sorcerer was successful in gaining their attention. "Unfortunately for Xehanort, Ventus refused to give himself up to the darkness. Frustrated, he separated his heart into two. The poor boy was about to die, but he survived for unknown reasons. Once he discovered that the boy was still alive and that he could still use the Keyblade, he sent him to Master Eraqus; and thus, Ventus met Terra and Aqua."

Kairi was about to get more popcorn when she noticed there were none, and that Goofy who was sitting beside her was grinning sheepishly. The red-haired girl sighed in exasperation.

"Xehanort planned to use Ventus to fight with Vanitas and create the x-blade. A few years after, Terra and Aqua had their Mark of Mastery exam; with Xehanort attending. During that time, Terra felt a flicker of darkness within him and the rest of them noticed it. Therefore, the only one who passed was Aqua." Mickey handed him a second bowl of popcorn from who-knows-where. His master appreciated it.

The king continued Yen Sid's story. "Xehanort used this opportunity to make Ven leave their home world and tricked him and his friends into fighting." He sighed. "And that's the end of it. We don't know what happened to Terra, Ven is missing, and the only one who knows where he's hiding is Aqua. But after some investigation, we discovered that she's trapped in the Realm of Darkness."

"Why is it very important to find them?" The silveret asked. "I know that we should help them and all but surely there's something more."

Yen Sid decided to answer. "Recently, the light of the worlds are fading bit by bit. The darkness is looming over once more and there have been sightings of the Unversed. If we want to get to the bottom of this problem, we need the help of those three Keyblade masters. Though two of them didn't pass or do the exam, they have been acknowledged by their Keyblades."

"Hm," Sora muttered. The brunet crossed his arms. "Who should we look for first? If we're going to look for Ventus, who's just missing, we need to find this Aqua person. But how do we enter the realm?"

"I believe I have an idea." Someone piped up. They all turned to the source of the voice and saw…

"Ansem!" Riku yelled as he summoned his Keyblade, Way to Dawn. The man held up his hands in surrender. "I am not here for a fight. I am only here for Aqua's sake."

"Aqua?" Mickey was surprised. "What happened to her?"

"As you may know, she's trapped. Though she's been able to fend off the numerous Heartless so that she would not be consumed by the darkness, Aqua is slowly getting weaker. If her struggle goes on, she'll die." Ansem warned. _'I hope you are right with whatever you're planning, Aqua. It's not very wise to lie to them.'_

"After I perished from our battle, I was sent to the same place and there I met the young Keyblade master. I wanted to help her, as a small compensation for what I've done."

"How can we enter?" Sora said, the first one to pull out from their trance. "You said you knew."

"Correct. If you want to enter the Realm of Darkness, you have to unlock the various Keyholes from different worlds."

That caused an uproar. Donald blew up. "Whaddaya mean we hafta unlock Keyholes? We locked them so that Kingdom Hearts won't be breached!"

Ansem sighed. "You have the wrong idea. For each and every world, there are many Keyholes that connect to their fellow worlds. However, there are two most important out of all of them. First would be the Keyhole that opens the door to a world's Heart, the other would be the one that opens the door to the Realm of Darkness."

"What makes you think we'll believe you?" Kairi frowned at him.

"He's not lying." Yen Sid commented. "The Keyholes of Darkness do exist." He turned to the man. "We thank you for the valuable information, Ansem the Wise."

The man smiled. "Anything for my good friend." He looked at the red-haired girl. "You may also want this." He sent a ball of light hurling towards Kairi. She yelped in surprise as it went inside her chest. Her two friends glowered at the old man.

"Your Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, was originally Aqua's. You may not remember it but she marked you to be a wielder many years ago. I just sent you a small essence of her magic. It would help you unleash your Keyblade's true potential." _'Is this truly the right choice, Aqua? I know you want them to be strong but misleading them isn't exactly a good way to do so.'_

"Do you know anything about the fading light of the worlds and the Unversed?" The king inquired.

"I do not know. I am sorry." _'Aqua may very well know the situation,'_ Ansem mentally added as he faded away, waving farewell.

"Okay," Mickey started. "Along the way of unlocking Keyholes, we can also solve the mystery behind this anomalies."

Everyone was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Too bad for them, they did not notice the shadow in the corner of the room as it went away.

* * *

"What were you here for?" Lea asked. Xertha sighed as she raised her Keyblade. She shot out a beam of light unto the throne and a dimension rip appeared. The woman stuck her hand in it and grasped something before taking it out.

"It's because of this." She showed him a tiny glowing glass shard. The redhead raised an eyebrow. "What in the name of Kingdom Hearts is that? What are you going to do with it?" Inwardly, he cursed. _'Mansex and the others are rubbing off on me.'_

"I guess I should tell the story from the beginning. It's going to be long, though." Xertha sat on the throne, after the rip disappeared. She placed the shard over her Keyblade and the weapon absorbed it.

Lea grinned. "Don't worry. I'll get it memorized."

"It all started twelve years ago, prior today—"

"Wait, wait. Is this gonna be long? And how old are you anyway, since you look younger than me. That would mean you were a kid back then."

Xertha sighed. "Not much, but everything became like this because of an incident at that time. I'm 18, and I haven't aged since that period."

"How?"

"Listen to my story and you'll get your answer."

"I see…"

* * *

Outside of the tower, the moving shadow came out of the ground and turned into a Flood Unversed. It went towards a person who merely smirked. Golden eyes twinkled as the creature told him of what Sora and the others talked about.

"Is that so?" The figure walked in the opposite direction, opening a Corridor of Darkness. "I guess things would be more interesting this way. Before we leave though…"

He brought out a Keyblade. A malicious aura was leaking out of it. The figure sent a black ray to an empty space and revealed a dimension rip. He slowly placed his hand inside and his smirk widened when he got a hold of something.

Once the figure was finished, he opened his hand to see the same item that Xertha got. "That should do it. I have many pieces yet to collect, especially the core." He stared at the top of the tower where he caught a glimpse of a certain brunet Keyblader.

"That no-good idiot still thinks Roxas is a simple Nobody. How foolish." The figure sent a dark miasma to the brunet, while said target did not notice anything.

He grinned at the Flood who watched him in confusion. "That's just a little warning. Your fellow Unversed will be able to spread darkness here easier now, without that stupid barrier that brat placed." And he walked away, entering the portal. _'He's not half bad, casting barriers to ensure that the light of the worlds wouldn't fade away.'_

A frown made its way to his face. _'But he just had to scatter the pieces, didn't he?' _He stared at the glass shard, glowing brightly in the corridors as if mocking him.

* * *

Lea stared at the entrance of Castle Oblivion. Xertha told him the entire story of her journey and a bit of her life, and it took a little while for the problem to sink into his head. "That's it, huh." He remembered about her last words just before he left the barren place.

_"Don't tell anyone I'm around and about what I've told you. It's confidential."_

His thoughts wandered to his blond-haired male friend. _'Roxas, you're in deep shit.'_

* * *

Roxas grumbled as he walked around the corridors of Sora's heart. The blond wandered aimlessly, looking for something and not at the same time. _'What am I even doing?'_ The Nobody told himself.

He sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Suddenly, the blond teen went stiff. "Who's calling me?" Numerous images flashed through his mind. He clutched his head, confused. _'What… what the hell.'_

The Nobody felt a hand brush against his shoulder. It sent shivers up his spine. But when he turned around, no one was there. He placed his own hand on his chest where his heart should be located. He grimaced.

"Something here… was being pulled out?" The blond did not notice the faint thumps of a heartbeat when he touched his chest.

He also could not stop the tears flowing out of his eyes. "Sora, what's happening out there?" Roxas felt a breeze pass him.

Out of the blue, a warm and soothing light encompassed him. A whisper, "Rest." And Roxas lost consciousness. A cloaked figure caught him before he could fall down completely.

When the figure looked around, that person saw a smirk in the shadows of the brunet's heart.

"You…"

* * *

Back at the top of the tower, Sora looked out of the window. _'I could've sworn someone looked this way.' _He shooked his head. _'I must be getting paranoid from all the enemies I've faced.'_ However, the brunet knew he was lying to himself. "I feel weird," He murmured.

Riku noticed him glancing repeatedly. He also gazed where his friend was staring at. _'There's nothing there.'_ He frowned. "What are you looking at, Sora?"

"O-Oh, nothing! Nothing. Just me getting paranoid is all." He laughed awkwardly. The silveret sent him a questioning glance yet he decided to drop it. "Whatever."

"Anyways, what about Xehanort-the-old man-turned-into-a-kid thing?" Mickey nodded. "Right. Master?"

Yen Sid crossed his arms. "There is only one other Keyblade wielder who went through the same situation as Riku." He turned to the silveret. "I can sense that person's power within you. You may have been marked by him, that's why you were able to use the Keyblade."

"And who's that?" Kairi pondered.

The sorcerer closed his eyes solemnly. "Terra."

Mickey nodded, not much surprised. _'Of course, who else has faced the darkness once? And after he clashed with Xehanort, we didn't know what happened to him.'_

As everyone brainstormed about Terra, Sora smiled at his friends; oblivious to the turmoils back in his Heart.

* * *

**Xertha is NOT an OC. It's a fake name to hide her identity. There's also a reason for her name, which will be revealed in due time. For now, why not try to guess who she is. It's pretty easy~.**

**Oh, about Ansem's thoughts; yeah, he was lying and Aqua told him to do that. Just telling this if you guys didn't understand.**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


	2. Ch 2: Shards of a Heart

**Never really thought this story would have readers since I did it on a whim.**

**Just to make it clear, Xertha is NOT an OC… for those who asked me via mail.**

**And her identity is obvious. Enjoy!**

**Oh yeah, I'll be keeping her anonymous until the time when she reveals her identity to Sora and the gang.**

**Just to be clear, there is NO RokuNami in this story; you'll understand later on. I'm more of a AkuRoku or RokuShi fan. Besides, I'm not sure if I will include pairings in this one; and if I did I'm torn between choosing yaoi or het for Kingdom Hearts.**

**Should I? If yes, yaoi or het? Can't exactly decide…**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Shards of a Heart**

* * *

The cloaked figure frowned as a dark aura surrounded them (including Roxas). That mystery person hauled Roxas over their shoulder. "Come out."

"Hostile, Xertha." Said another guy, smirking. "And why won't you give me a loving hug?"

"Because," She drew her Keyblade. "I know you're a bastard. You've always been one, Vanitas. Ever since the day you appeared to me."

The invader smirked, now without his helmet. "Really, now. I was just here to greet good ol' Roxy." Her grip on the blond tightened.

"Stay away from him _forever_."

"I can't do that," Vanitas stated. Seeing her glare under the hood, he sighed. "Fine. I'll stay away, but don't think I won't come back. Besides, I'm still after you so stop worrying about him."

Xertha mirrored his previous smirk. "Never thought you would, and I'm not gonna be worried for myself. I can handle my own troubles." With that, he disappeared. The woman closed her eyes and released the breath he was unconsciously holding. She glanced at Roxas.

"I'm jealous you have no idea of what troubles are waiting. Ignorance is bliss, after all." She set Roxas down gently and casted a magic barrier in the Dive to the Heart. The cloak-wearing female palmed something from her pocket and a bright light came out of it. "This should protect you before I return."

Roxas and Xertha were covered by a bright light.

* * *

"Vanitas, how was the mission?" Someone from the shadows asked. The raven-haired boy smirked, holding his helmet. "I got the shard from Mysterious Tower." He tossed the glowing piece of glass to the other.

"And Castle Oblivion?"

"Xertha got in the way."

"Ah, yes… that damned woman." His eyes twinkled in sadistic glee. "I've been wondering where she went." Another person entered the room and took a seat next to the man.

"Do not fret, Superior. I'll get that rat myself."

Vanitas growled at that. "Xertha's _my_ prey. I'm the only one who gets to smash that pretty little face of hers!"

The second person stood his ground. "No. I will be the one to castrate her, after becoming a hindrance to our plans." The two engaged into a glaring contest. The first person Vanitas was talking to decided to break the ice and stood up.

"You will both get your chance." He sat back down. "Xehanort has informed me that we will get her to lead us to the Key, after we gather the 16 shards. She already has 1 in her possession, and we must not let her have the rest. I'm also sure that the last shard is with the Key."

"How many do we have?" Vanitas asked.

The other subordinate answered for him. "We have three on our side as well, the other from here in headquarters. We would have four if _someone_ didn't fail to do their mission."

The raven-haired boy ignored his last remark. "I'll be heading out then? And where's the third shard from?"

"Not this time," A third voice echoed in the room. "It will be another to go. You take a break from all the missions you've done. As an answer to your previous question, it's from Radiant Garden." Vanitas simply gave a silent huff and left. The trio remaining watched his back as he walked away.

"Who is going next?"

The third voice snorted. "Who else?"

* * *

Roxas was dreaming. He dreamt of shooting stars, promises, and adventures. The blond met lots of familiar and not-so-familiar people from his dream.

He felt light-weighted, being drifted across space like he was floating on water. _'Water?'_ The blond's eyes snapped open and stood up. True to his thoughts, he was standing on a body of said liquid. However, he was not wet when he felt his back. _'Weird.'_

He then saw images in the sky. The Nobody recognized some of the people in them: Sora, Kairi, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Namine, the members of the Organization, and the different world residents. The following images made him freeze in shock.

There was an image of Axel, who wore the black cloak. Beside him was a look-alike wearing the same cloak, without the markings on his face. When Axel held his two Chakrams, Eternal Flames, his clone held a Keyblade that was a mix of Frolic Flame and Bond of Flames.

Next was Saix, who still looked pretty much the same. He also had a clone. The look-alike wore a deep blue jacket with a moon insignia on the part of the left chest, with light blue sleeves. He wore a simple pair of jeans and shoes. Unlike Saix, the clone had a small smile on his face.

Another was a black-haired girl with blue eyes, who seemed very familiar to the blond. She wore the Organization's cloak and held the Kingdom Key. _'Who is she?'_ He felt something tugging at his chest whenever he looked at the image.

The next showed two people, a young man and woman. The man was a brunet with tamed hair and navy blue eyes. The woman had short blue hair and icy blue eyes. Both of them had Keyblades like the previous girl. The man's Keyblade was dark and bronze, and the woman's was a metallic blue with a tint of silver.

The last was what caused him the greatest surprise. It was an image of him; holding Oathkeeper and Oblivion. He was back-to-back with another teen. Said boy had golden blonde hair and sky blue eyes like his. He was holding two Keyblades as well, while he held them backhandedly. One was black and oddly-shaped, the other was silver with intricate designs and some red highlights.

Suddenly, the images disappeared.

"Who were those people? I recognize Axel and Saix, but they have clones," He murmured to himself.

"They are my precious friends and yours too," A voice answered for him. He turned around to see a person wearing the Organization's cloak. The hood was down to cover the face but he could tell she was female.

He summoned his trusty dual Keyblades. "Who are you and how did you enter Sora's Heart?" _'And what do you mean that those people are my precious friends? Saix is definitely not one of them, and I never met that blue-haired girl or the other brunet.' _

"Me? I'm a friend." She said and paused. "Actually, you're my friend."

"How are you and Sora friends**(1)**? I'm sure I've never met you before." He said, growling a bit. The other shook her head. She crossed her arms. "You don't get it, do you?" The female approached him.

"Did you ever wonder why you never looked like Sora?" Getting silence, she continued. "That's because you are not who you seem to be."

Roxas mused to himself. _'Then who am I?' _"But you haven't answered my question. Who are you and how did you get in here?"

"My name is Xertha," The Nobody blinked. "and the reason why I can enter freely is because I have a part of you."

"When did that happen?" He withdrew his weapons.

Xertha rubbed her temple. "I can't tell you. At least, not now." She looked away, at the horizon that suddenly appeared. "Say, do you want to be separated from Sora?"

"Wouldn't that do some damage? Besides, if I get to go out I want Namine to get freedom. She deserves it."

"Of course I'll do the same to her. I do know that she has done so many things worth of that freedom."

"What I'd do to make that happen." Roxas murmured.

The other smiled at him. "Then take this as a little 'thank you' gift for being a good friend."

"Huh?" Before he could say anything else, the woman pressed something to the Nobody's chest. She closed his eyes. _'The connection has been made.'_

"Good day to you, Roxas. We'll meet again, that I assure you." _'I have to lie now, or else he'll blab about this.'_ Xertha was fading. Moments later, the blond felt that he was being ripped out of Sora's Dive to the Heart.

"Just remember, keep this meeting a secret; or else you'll be back in here." Her voice echoed.

"Wha—" And he was gone.

* * *

Namine closed her eyes as she reminisced about the past, her life before the Organization. It's been fifteen years since her brother was taken away. She felt a tear drop from her eye. Back then, she wasn't strong enough to protect him from the Heartless who kidnapped him.

She's puzzled though. How can she have a brother or have lived fifteen years ago when she was born only three years prior current time? The fact that Kairi's probably a baby or a toddler back then even strengthen her doubts. _'It's weird.' _The blonde began to see visions.

An image of a boy smiled at a younger Namine. _"I'll protect you, no matter what. You're my little sis, after all!"_

Second was her and her brother sitting on the edge of a bridge, watching stars falling down. _"Look, Namine! It's called a meteor shower. Isn't it pretty?"_

Another was both of them looking at a tombstone. Her brother hugged her as she cried in his arms. _"Even if we're separated, we'll always find our way back to each other. We'll never be alone."_

The next one made her tears flow endlessly. There, lying on the ground, was her brother battered and bloody. The Heartless started to drag him away into a Corridor of Darkness. _"Namine, I'll come back for you so don't worry!"_ He yelled as he sobbed.

Many more images followed.

_"Want some of this? It's ice cream, and I know you'll love it!"_

_"Touch my sister and you'll die!"_

_"Happy birthday, Namine. Since you like drawing, I got you a sketchbook!"_

_"I'll be here to catch you so don't worry about falling off that tree."_

_"I don't know, but I can sense people from the winds."_

_"I love you, my little sister."_

Namine crouched on the ground as the urge to draw dawned upon her. She pulled out her sketchbook—which was the same one her brother gave her—and flipped it open. The blonde started her work.

Half an hour had passed and she was almost done. "Just a bit more coloring and—" She held out the drawing in the air. "Finished." What the Nobody saw shocked her.

It was a picture of her brother strapped on a chair with light and darkness surrounding him. Above was Xehanort looming over. On the left side was a raven-haired boy who looked like Sora. On the right was a younger Xehanort.

"No!" And then, she felt herself being dragged away from Kairi's Heart. A bright light enveloped her figure.

* * *

In the outside world, Sora felt a burning sensation in his chest. He fell on one knee. _'What is this?'_ The others all huddled around him.

Kairi and Riku were the most worried ones. "Are you okay, Sora?" The redhead female asked. The brunet gave his best friends a reassuring smile. "I'm f-fine, I think."

"Dumbass, what do you mean by 'you think'?" The silveret scolded him, but Sora could see pure worry in his azure eyes.

The Keyblader couldn't say anything because the sensation became even more painful. The brunet bit his lips hard to stifle a scream. Slowly, a bright ball of light was coming out from his chest. Sora felt his own arm move and summon the Kingdom Key. "M-My arm is moving on its own!" He yelled.

The others had a disbelief expression. "What?"

His arm started to lift up and now had the Kingdom Key pointed at Kairi— more specifically, her own chest. "Kairi, please dodge!" But his warning was too late. His unconscious action made her frozen on her spot. A ray came from his weapon and shot the princess directly at her Heart. Kairi came tumbling to the floor, making everyone scream.

However, to their surprise, the redhead was still okay. They saw a similar ball of light coming out from her chest. "You in pain, Kairi?" Riku asked.

"No," She was honestly startled. The redhead felt nothing as the ball was being extracted from her.

Once both balls of light were out, Sora's pain subsided and the Kingdom Key disappeared. The brunet tried to move his arm, and was happy to know that he has control over it again.

They all observed the two glowing orbs floating in the air. The light became brighter, and begun to materialize. Everyone brought out their weapons. As the glow faded, two confused blond-haired Nobodies were sitting on the floor; dazed.

Roxas was confused. "Where am I?"

Namine was too. "I don't know."

_'Okay, now I'm really thrown off here.'_ Riku thought to himself as he saw his friends' Nobodies in flesh. "How did you two get here?" The pair looked up to him. They shared a glance, and returned their gazes to him. "We have no idea."

Roxas inwardly smiled. _'Guess that lady wasn't lying, but she didn't answer some of my questions.'_

Yen SId stood up. "Roxas, Namine." The pair turned to him after standing up. "How did you two get out of here? Aren't Sora and Kairi's Hearts damaged?"

Namine fiddled with the hem of her dress. Maybe she shouldn't tell them about the drawing, for now. "I-I'm sorry, I have no idea. I was finishing my sketches when a bright light came and the next thing I knew, I was here." They all directed their stares to Roxas, who seemed to know something.

Riku placed his Keyblade in front of the Nobody. "Tell us what you know."

The blond scratched his head. His clone's words rang in his head. _"Just remember, keep this meeting a secret; or else you'll be back in here."_ He sighed. _'I have no choice.'_ "I don't know exactly. One minute some voice was talking to me about getting out of Sora's Heart unscathed, then I was here." _'Sorry for lying.'_

Mickey asked the brunet, "Do ya feel any different?"

"Nothing, Your Majesty. I felt pain when Roxas came out; after that, none."

"Try summoning your Keyblade," Kairi suggested. "It was moving on its own, right?" Sora nodded and did as told. He swung the Kingdom Key just to see any differences. "Nope, naddah. It's still the same."

Riku and the others finally relaxed. "But what was the pain you felt? You said your chest was hurting when Roxas was coming out, yet Kairi didn't feel any."

Yen Sid, after thinking much about the incident, finally spoke once more. "There is an explanation for that." Everyone went all ears for him. "Since Sora extracted Namine externally, Kairi did not feel any pain; plus the fact that she is a princess of Heart, one who has no darkness in her."

The sorcerer continued. "And because of that voice Roxas spoke of, it would only mean that someone extracted him internally; causing a bit of pain." He crossed his arms. "The right question would be: who was the owner of that voice?" Silence fell upon the room.

"Well, there's no use in worrying about something that already happened." The sorcerer commented. _'Roxas is lying, but I am sure it is for a good reason. Whatever happened in Sora's Heart, I hope it was nothing serious.'_

* * *

Ansem thought back to what he said to the Keyblade wielders as he walked around the Realm of Darkness. _'Oh, Aqua. Why would you mislead them? Was there no other choice but that?'_

He sat on a rock by the seashore. As he stared at the dark sea, he was reminded of the Keyblade master and the tales he told her. He looked up at the dark sky. "You have a long journey ahead of you, Sora. Especially since Aqua asked me to inform you a lie."

The sage-king shuffled his hand in one of his pockets and pulled out a picture of him and his apprentices back in Radiant Garden. They were surrounding a glowing piece of shard encased in glass. "Does this have to do with the fading lights?" He reminisced of the time the shard went missing and the Heartless were able to invade the 'City of Light' easily. It was also the time one of his apprentices disappeared and the rest were consumed by darkness.

"Xehanort," He paused. "Did he steal it?"

* * *

Vanitas sneered to himself as he mulled over his supposedly comrade's remark. He summoned his Keyblade and looked at it. "I'll get my hands on the x-blade next time."

A man wearing the Organization's cloak and had an eyepatch approached him. "Kid," He greeted.

"Braig." The former Nobody grinned maliciously at him. "What the hell do you want?"

"Mister Master just sent me to tell you about your mission," Braig started. The raven-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "I thought I'm on break now."

"He changed his mind. Said you'd be more… productive if you did something else." He gave a suggestive smirk and Vanitas mirrored it. _'So I get to break people's minds now?'_ "Mister Master said that you are to distract and mess with the brown-haired Keyblader while the others and I retrieve the shards."

"What about Roxas and Xertha?"

"Don't worry about those two," Braig's eyes glinted dangerously. "I'll personally drag them here if I have to, then you and ass-kisser can beat Xertha up while Mister Master will use blondie. Xertha shouldn't get killed, though."

"Can I do what I want to Roxas?" His eyes glinting sadistically.

"Yep. Mister Master gives ya permission."

"How 'bout Namine?"

Braig crossed his arms and thought back. "Mister Master said not to bother with her for now."

That news brought joy to Vanitas. "When do I start?"

* * *

A blue-haired woman was walking around the darkness. She was very alert of her surroundings, knowing the danger lurking beyond them. A Keyblade was in her hand, but it was not hers; for her own was sacrificed to save a friend.

She approached the cloak-wearing sage-king. "Ansem, have you told them what I requested?"

The old man grunted. "I have," He turned his attention to the, dark shores on their side. "May I ask of you something before you proceed with your plans, Aqua?"

The Keyblade master blinked before nodding slowly. "Yes, you may."

He looked at her, eye-to-eye. "What do you know of the fading lights?" He crossed his arms. "Even if I am trapped in eternal darkness, I can sense the light quivering bit by bit. Please, tell me the truth."

Aqua stared at the horizon. "Almost twelve years had passed since the time of the Second Keyblade War. We all did our best, but it wasn't enough." She sighed. "Way before that time… Ven might not remember it but," The young woman had a sad smile on her face. "we've met. Me, him, and Terra."

She started to pace around. "And even back then, I think he already had a pure Heart of light. I don't understand, since Vanitas wasn't born from Ven yet." The Keyblade master raised her former mentor's weapon in the air. She observed the dangling Keychain. "I think he has more secrets than what anyone else knows. And from the looks of it, not even Master Xehanort has managed to uncover them."

Ansem hummed to himself. "I see. What makes you so sure of this, Aqua?"

The bluenette gave him a serious look. "There was a peculiar insignia on his left forearm, hidden by his wristband. It was familiar, but I couldn't remember where I saw it before. I asked Master Eraqus about it and he said it was—"

All of the sudden, the ringing of bells were heard. She stopped talking and immediately shifted to a defensive stance. "It seems that it is time."

Aqua gave him a small smile. "I know, and we have to hurry." When she began to leave, numerous Heartless emerged from the ground. "After all, every action counts. We're running out of time." And she charged.

The sage-king watched as his companion slashed through the hordes of monsters. He was useless in a fight, being incapacitated by the machine explosion. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the bluenette called to him. "Ansem, let's go."

He followed the path Aqua took.

* * *

Roxas sat on the windowsill as he drowned out Yen Sid and Mickey's lecture about the situation. Unlike Namine who was taking a nap at that moment, he was wide awake and was listening in on their talk. For some reason, he felt that the story about the previous trio of Keyblade wielders was familiar.

He sighed and looked at the blonde Nobody girl. Something was troubling her, he can tell. However, he knew she wouldn't budge if he asked; and so he'll let her be. "I'll be here to help. I'll never leave you." Roxas blinked at his murmured words. They sounded familiar as if he'd said it before.

The Nobody shook his head discreetly. There was no time to be thinking about such things. He had to worry about the current situation.

Yen Sid finally finished his tale and turned to Sora, Riku, and Kairi. "Are you three all set for the journey?" The trio nodded.

"Sure am!"

"Yes."

"Of course!"

"Then it's time for you to start." He looked at Roxas and Namine. "You two shall come with them. Maybe you'll figure out how you were able to materialize here without a body." They nodded and walked off to the trio. Roxas was wearing his outfit from his time before the Organization and Namine was still in her white dress.

Yen Sid redirected his attention to Sora and Riku only. "It's best if you first go to Radiant Garden. Lea will also be there to join your search. I've already informed him. Good luck." A bright portal appeared and everyone saw a Gummi ship at the other side. It was red and black, downright cool-looking. "Take that ship. I have requested Cid to make it for your adventure."

Sora grinned. "Sweet!" He looked at Yen Sid. "Thanks!" He paused. "How about King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy?"

"Speaking of them, Donald and Goofy aren't here. Where'd they go?" Kairi asked. "Who's Lea?"

Mickey scratched his head. "Well, Minnie and the others are getting ready for the upcoming Dream Festival. Donald and Goofy had to go back and help with the preparations." And there it was again, Roxas sensed the feeling of nostalgia when he heard the word 'Dream Festival'. Did it have something to do with carrying another person's Heart? "As for Lea, you'll see him when you get there."

"When is it then?" The brunet inquired.

"A month later. There's a lot of stuff to do that's why we start early."

Riku decided to cut in. "Sora, it's time to go." He nodded. "Yeah." They waved at the sorcerer-apprentice pair. "Bye, King Mickey and Master Yen Sid."

"See ya real soon!"

"May the light guide you to safety."

* * *

A black-haired girl groaned as she sat up. She gasped as she noticed that she was in the real world and not in Sora's Heart. "H-How?" The ravenette stood up with a groan. It's hard to move when she hadn't for quite a while.

"Good. You're finally awake."

Xion turned to see a woman with her hood down. "Who are you? Are you the reason why I'm out here?" The female smiled at her, even if the Nobody couldn't see half her face. "That's correct. I'm Xertha." She offered her hand for a shake.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Xion." The Nobody replica took the hand. "Um, why am I here? Wouldn't that cause trouble for Roxas and Sora?"

"Don't you worry about them. I already separated them, the same for Kairi and Namine. It really wasn't hard, considering that they really weren't as they seem to be."

Xion was quick enough to pick up the implied idea. "You mean…"

"Seems you got the gist of it pretty fast. That's right, they aren't."

"Well then," The ravenette looked at her surroundings. It was dark and gloomy. She turned around and gasped loudly. There, in front of her, was Castle Oblivion. "What did you need me for?"

Xertha grinned. "I need your help to gather the shards of a Heart."

"And what are these shards for?"

The cloaked woman crossed her arms. "The shards belong to my friend's Heart. He really needs them back, especially when the magic he casted on them are failing." She started to pace back and forth.

"A long time ago, my friend's Heart was shattered to pieces. Doing the universe one last favor, he sent all 16 shards across different worlds which he travelled to. He used these as a medium to cast a barrier on these places to protect their light."

Xion looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Xertha laughed sadly. "Anyways, the enemy wants Kingdom Hearts and the Key is my friend. To wake him up, they need the 16 shards to restore his Heart. The 16th and final shard is probably within my friend, and it will resonate with the others if all 15 are together; enabling them to find him." She stopped and faced the ravenette.

"This is also the reason why Radiant Garden was easily converted to Hollow Bastion a couple of years ago. The light of that place remained vulnerable after the enemy retrieved a shard. So please," Xertha kneeled before the Nobody replica, shocking her. The cloaked lady lifted up her head.

Xion was able to see her icy blue eyes beneath the hood. It was enough to tell her that the person before her is desperate and trusts her enough to show a part of her face. "Help me."

"I understand." The ravenette nodded to her request. Xertha then stood up and summoned her own Keyblade. "Can you still summon this?" The ex-XIV did as told. Nothing happened. Xertha cupped her chin in thought. She held out her weapon to the raven-haired girl. "Here, touch it."

Xion was a bit wary of it at first, but eventually relented. When she touched the Keyblade, a bright light came out of it briefly and died down. Xertha withdrew her Keyblade and crossed her arms. "Try it now."

She nodded and followed orders. Xion was surprised to see the weapon on her hand. However, it was not the Kingdom Key that appeared. Instead, a bright whitish-blue Keyblade manifested in her hand. At the tip was a star and wing-like edges for the tooth.

Xertha smiled in approval. "What is the Keyblade's name?"

The Nobody replica pondered for a while before she finally heard the weapon's soul whisper to her. "Its name is Brightcrest."

* * *

In a lone throne room, different from the one Xertha visited… a boy was sleeping. His fingers twitched slightly as the gentle smile on his face remained.

On his neck was a green star-shaped charm worn as an amulet of sorts. It was glowing faintly in the middle of the pure white room. The silver insignia for a Keyblade wielder were found floating, bound by chains to the throne. They were shining with different colors.

A light breeze formed around the boy. One could hear his voice from the blows of the wind.

_"Terra… Aqua…"_

* * *

Opposite of the boy's room was a similar-looking one. Unlike the previous place, it was pitch black. If the insignia were silver for the boy, it was gold here. A figure wearing tattered robes with a hood hiding their face was sitting on it. Just like the boy, this one was sleeping as well.

On the side of the throne gleaming in the dark was a Keyblade, wrapped up in torn cloth.

If one were to enter this room, they would hear the waves of the ocean; along with a hoarse voice. Because of this, one cannot tell if the figure were to be male or female.

_"Where am I?"_

* * *

**(1) **When Roxas said "How are you and Sora friends?", he jumped into conclusion that Xertha was referring to Sora (being his Somebody) as her friend.

* * *

**So try and guess who Xertha is again while you wait for Chapter 3. And as a bonus, try and find out who's the anonymous one in the black throne room opposite of Ven; who's still not an OC.**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**

**BTW, who else participated in the official Blackout day? F F . n e t is really unreasonable for taking down awesome stories just 'cause they're yaoi, yuri, or have sexual content.**

**What happened to "Unleash your Imagination"?**


	3. Ch 3: Shadows of the Past

**It's nice to see that people are actually reading this story. Ahaha, didn't expect that one.**

**Still need to get this plot outta my head to be able to update the other fics (which I know some aren't interested because it's for another fandom and the fact that 2 are yaoi and 1 is Het).**

**If you know 'Key of the Twilight' by Yuki Kajiura from .hack/sign, you might be familiar with some lines on the first scene.**

**Enough with reading my rambling, get on with the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Shadows of the Past**

* * *

_"Little sky, so bright and faithful."_

Sora looked around as he was stuck in the middle of darkness. "Who's there?" For a while he got no reply.

_"Yet his destiny's a handful."_

The brunet repeated himself. "Anyone? Kairi? Riku? Roxas? Namine?" The Keybearer felt a presence behind him and turned around.

Three figures materialized in thin air. Their faces were blurred out but he was able to discern that one of them was female. The person in the middle was male. He was the guy who spoke to Sora.

_"Little sky, so hopeful and brave."_

The male stepped closer to him and the brunet realized that he couldn't move.

_"Protect you must, the gift I gave."_

A glow appeared in his hand and out came the Kingdom Key. The hero was shocked. "Wha— how did you get that?" Was what he wanted to say, but his mouth kept shut.

_"Come with me in the Twilight of a summer's night for a while."_

The darkness slowly morphed into a familiar setting. Buildings started to form around them. The male's companions walked away and sat on the ground. Sora noticed that they were at a clock tower's edge.

_"Tell me of a story never ever told in the past."_

Numerous stars shone brightly in the heavens. Sora found himself mesmerized by them. The blur-faced male held his hand out to the Keybearer.

_"Take me back to the land where my yearnings were born."_

Clouds at the heavens gathered in one place. The dark fluffy things created a vortex in the sky. The brunet hero stared at it in shock. "I don't get it. What does this have to do with me?"

_"The Key to open the door is in your hand."_

The male gave the Kingdom Key to Sora. "I… have the Key?" He nodded.

_"Now take me there,"_

The blur-faced male turned around and pointed his finger at the horizon. A lump formed in his throat because of his surprise when he finally figured out where they were. The clouds cleared and he saw the heart-shaped blue moon of Kingdom Hearts.

_"To the land of Twilight."_

The other two sat at the edge of the Clock Tower, and the twilight sun greeted the four. The hero was about to open his mouth to reply but he instantly blanked out once the blur on the trio's faces were gone.

_"Good luck, Sora. We'll be waiting."_

Slowly but surely, the buildings crumbled. Sora felt himself falling; falling down to the eternal void called darkness. Heartless appeared out of the blue and tried to get him. Unversed clawed at him. Nobodies attacked him. Nightmares ganged up on his falling form. He screamed from the pain and the long dive.

* * *

Sora woke up, panting heavily. He sat up and stared at the ceiling of his room inside the Gummi ship, Ragnarok. The brunet fisted his chest, calming his heart. _'What was that dream?'_

The door slammed open and revealed Riku and Kairi. "You okay Sora?" The silveret inquired. He groaned, successfully stopping his temporary seizure. "Y-Yeah, m'fine. Only a little bad dream, is all."

"Are you sure?" The princess asked. Sora simply gave them a thumbs-up, but both were not fooled. They noticed that he was a bit shaky.

The darkness user sighed and crossed his arms. "Alright. Whatever you dreamt of, we won't pry. Don't make us worry so much, got that?"

The brunet grinned at him wearily. "I got it memorized." A sneer formed on his best friend's mouth. "Stop imitating that hothead. It doesn't suit your goofy face." Kairi was a bit puzzled. _'Hothead? Who?'_ But she decided not to inquire.

Sora furrowed his eyebrows. "And that sneer doesn't suit your stupid face." Riku snorted at the comeback and left. Kairi spared him one last glance before adding, "Call us if anything happens. Don't shoulder everything just because we've depended on you before. This time, let us do our part to help you. We're friends."

The brunet smiled. "Will do."

* * *

Along the corridors of Castle Oblivion, two figure were walking. They seemed to be searching for something. His companion placed a hand on his shoulder. "Looks like we're still stuck out here, Isa."

The blue-haired man removed his hood to glare at the other. "Shut up and keep an eye for that room, Braig." The eyepatched man snorted at his hostility. "Yeah, yeah." They passed by a dead end with a painting of a twilight sky.

They never knew that beyond it was the path that lead to what they were trying to find.

A cold breeze blew along the corridors.

_"Try and find me… old friend."_

* * *

Ansem quietly observed his friend go. He watched as she did her job. _'I hope this works.' _He noticed an item hanging from the young lady's pocket. "What is that?"

The sage-king took a closer look and saw that it was a blue star-shaped charm. In the middle was the insignia of the Land of Departure, home to all Keyblade wielders for thousands of years. _'Ah, I've heard about this. Good luck charms shaped like the famous paopu fruit signify an unbreakable connection between people.'_

Out of the blue, the charm glowed; lighting up the darkness. Aqua didn't seem to notice. Ansem briefly wondered why the Heartless weren't attracted by the charm's light.

He blinked, and the glow was gone. _'Does that mean the plan was a success?' _

* * *

Sora and the gang finally arrived in their first world: Radiant Garden. The brunet was the first to get out of the Gummi ship. "Wow. Even though I've already seen this, it's still catching me off-guard." Kairi smiled brightly as she remembered Mickey's words to her before aboarding the ship.

_"Kairi." The mouse king called her attention. She turned around. "What is it, Your Highness?"_

_"I just want to tell you one thing."_

_"That is…?" The red-haired girl was puzzled. What did Mickey want to tell her?_

_"Master Aqua saved you back in Radiant Garden when you were a little kid. I think it was the time she acquired the Keychain for Destiny's Embrace, having contact with you." Kairi picked up the underlying message. "You mean…"_

_"That's right. Radiant Garden is your original homeworld."_

_'I can finally catch up to what I've missed all these years!'_ She internally squealed, mind wandering to what the current fashion trend in her homeworld was. Even though Namine was separate from her, there was still a thin link between them; enabling the blonde to hear her thoughts. She mentally sighed. _'She could've at least tried to hide her thoughts from me. I guess this so-called fashion lowers her common sense to realize an important detail?'_

A sweet smile was on the girl's face. _'If she's going to bombard my head with fancy clothes, I'm going to stuff art in hers!'_ If the others could hear Namine's mind, the smile on her face didn't seem so sweet anymore. Instead, it looked downright evil.

Roxas sweatdropped as he saw the expression on his fellow Nobody's face. _'Looks like Namine is planning something again. Nothing good ever comes out of her schemes.' _He turned to his male companions. _'I wonder if they noticed.'_ The blond took a closer inspection on them. Sora was oblivious as ever, but he could tell Riku was sharing his sentiments.

"At least someone else sees through Namine," He murmured. Unfortunately, the dress-wearing female heard this. "And what can they see, Roxas?" The Nobody turned around to see the painfully innocent yet completely wicked smile on Namine. He gulped silently.

"Nothing," He quickly answered. When his fellow Nobody looked away, he sighed in relief. _'Namine can be scary when she wants to be.'_ His imagination conjured up an image of evil Overlord Namine wearing a long black dress with a short dark cape and has two large horns on her head.

Roxas momentarily forgot that his mind was still linked to Sora. The brunet shivered at the mental image. _'Roxas has a weird imagination.'_ And he was still hopelessly oblivious.

Riku was the first to break the silence between them. "Isn't it about time for us to look for Lea?" Roxas sent a grateful grin to the silveret. "Yeah, the faster the better." The blond Nobody was the first to walk away, searching for his best friend's Somebody. The rest followed, with Kairi and Namine bombarding each other's mind and Riku ignoring them all.

Sora raised an eyebrow at this. "Huh? Did I happen to miss something?" _'Roxas looked shaken up. I wonder what happened.'_

Roxas heard his thoughts and facepalmed discreetly. "Sora, if only you knew."

* * *

Lea sat on the staircase leading to the entrance of Radiant Garden's castle. He was twirling his Keyblade on his left hand, Eternal Flames clutched by his right. The redhead remembered that his good ol' friend Ventus was doing the same thing during their first encounter.

_A strangely-shaped wooden sword came tumbling off a kid's grip to the redhead's side. He picked it up, and noticed the blond on the floor. "This yours?"_

_The blue-haired teen gave him a small glare. "Lea, we don't have time for this."_

_"Lighten up, Isa. It'll only take a sec." He approached the boy._

_"You still playing with toy swords? That's cute." Lea handed back the wooden item. His little remark earned him a sneer from the younger teen._

_"Now this right here—" Lea took the frisbees that were chained to his belt. "Tada! Whaddaya thing?" The blond gave him a blank stare. "Not a whole lot."_

_The redhead loomed over the other. "You're just jealous. I'm Lea," He tapped on the side of his forehead a little. "Got it memorized?" Lea proceeded to put his hands on his hips. "What's your name?"_

_The boy looked away. "Ventus."_

_Lea suddenly had a spark of idea. "Okay, Ventus. Let's fight!" Ven furrowed his eyebrows. "Fight? Why would I wanna do that?"_

_The red-haired teen grinned and pointed one of the frisbees at him. "You scared of losing?" Lea crouched down. "C'mon." He jumped away and took on an offensive stance. "Hope you're ready." Ven chuckled a bit before grinning at him. Picking up the wooden sword, Lea grinned back. "Yeah! Now we're talkin'."_

_The blond was ready to attack. "You're gonna be sorry." On the sidelines, Isa watched them and grunted in approval to himself._

_The two charged at each other and exchanged blows. However, Ven proved to be victorious._

_The Keybearer-in-training sent him to the floor. "You… had enough? 'Cause I'm willing to… call it a draw if you are." Lea said as he sat on the ground, panting. Ventus had a confused look on his face. "Huh?" Ven laughed a bit. "Right…"_

_"From where I stood," Isa said, walking towards them. "the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for 'loser'… 'lame', 'laughable'…" The redhead noticed that the blond was hiding an amused smile._

_"Wha— isn't this the part where ya… cheer me up, or somethin'?" He made a displeased expression and crossed his arms. "You're just havin' a bad day or… that's what you get for pullin' your punches! Some friend." And pouted._

_Isa mockingly raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie."_

_Lea turned to Ventus. "Ya see what I gotta put up with?" He laid on the ground. "Sure hope you don't have friends like him." The young Keybearer couldn't handle it— he laughed out loud. The duo followed soon after._

_After a while, the blue-haired teen was the first to break from his chuckles. "Lea, we have to go." The redhead stood up. "'Kay." Isa started to walk away and Lea got up._

_"Already?" Ven asked, a bit disappointed. Lea stopped for a moment. "I'll see ya when I see ya. After all, we're friends now." He smirked. "Get it memorized."_

_The blond had a wide smile on his face. "Okay, Lea."_

He had a nostalgic grin. "Since that day, I never saw him again." _'Now that I think 'bout it, he looks a lot like Roxas, or at least Roxas looks a lot like him since he's older.'_

"Never saw who again?"

"Whoa!"

Lea, who was startled, got up immediately. He turned around to see Ienzo, gazing at him expectantly. "Well?" The redhead scratched his head. "A friend of mine named Ventus."

Somehow, the name made _something_ gleam in Ienzo's usually uncaring eyes. "Ventus, huh." And the mini-Even (as Lea dubbed him) walked away contemplating about the past as well.

The silver-haired scientist remembered his encounter with Keybearer. The blond once saved his life from those dark abominations called Unversed. Even told him before, _"That boy has a Heart void of darkness. Interesting, don't you think?"_

He glanced at the redhead before completely leaving. "Sora and the others will be here any minute now. Greet them now." Lea got up from his position. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

* * *

Xertha looked at her raven-haired partner. They were at the top of a house in Radiant Garden. The pair were able to see a Gummi ship land at the Outer Gardens. Xion redirected her attention to the other. "They've arrived, haven't they."

The cloaked woman nodded. "We'll give them a heads up later. Right now, we need to get you some clothes." The ex-XIV gave her a confused look. "What do you mean by that?" A blush was slowly creeping up to her cheeks.

The older lady gave her a sly grin. "I know you're only in your birthday suit under that cloak. So c'mon," She grabbed the younger girl's arm and dragged her off to the shopping district.

Xion couldn't remove the red on her face. "M-Miss Xertha…"

She waved it off. "Xertha's fine."

* * *

Sora and his companions wandered around the plaza, not knowing where to go from there. "I thought Lea was gonna be around. Where is he?" A sparkling glint entered Kairi's eyes. "Then let's head off to the shopping district while we're looking." Seeing their blank faces, she blushed at her outburst. "Y-You know, a lot of people are there and we know he wants to be 'memorized' by many. We can also look for supplies!"

"Right." Riku shook his head and gave the red-haired girl a knowing smirk. "Fine, whatever."

Kairi crossed her arms. "Hmph." Namine was displeased. As much as she wants her Somebody to have fun and enjoy the stay in Radiant Garden, she also doesn't want to end up stuck in a boutique with a bunch of raging fashionistas. Sensing that she was upset, Roxas gave her an encouraging smile. "Why the sour face?"

"You know I don't like… shopping."

The blond seem to contemplate this for a moment before realizing something. "Well, think about it like this— you can buy art supplies. Just because this place is called a shopping district doesn't mean that clothes are the only things you can buy." That brought a smile to her face. "You're right." The blonde walked to the auburn-haired female. The two ran to different stores.

Roxas sighed. Sora, during the short conversation, was completely oblivious to all of it; seeing that his focus was on Scrooge McDuck's famous Sea-salt ice cream stand. Riku facepalmed. "And we have to deal with this everyday."

* * *

Xertha and Xion were at one of the local boutiques. The cloaked woman gained many stares from the others simply because of the creepy outfit. However, she paid no heed to them. The cold-eyed woman dragged the ravenette around, pushing outfits to her. If they didn't find anything suitable or cheap enough to buy, they would go to the next one.

This continued for at least half an hour until they caught sight of a red-haired girl. The duo hid themselves at once. "That was close," Xion muttered.

"I know what you mean." Xertha commented. When she turned to her companion, she saw something in the distance. "I think I have the perfect outfit for you." Xion looked at the same direction. The pair approached the store.

In the corner where they came from, a dark miasma was gathering. Yellow eyes twinkled in sadistic glee.

* * *

Lea went to the plaza. Nothing. He went to the Outer Gardens. Still nothing. Where would the kids go? There was only one possible place left.

The shopping district.

The red-haired man sighed loudly. _'They're still kids, can't exactly blame them.'_ He walked into the area and spotted a spiky-haired brunet from afar. _'Not really hard to miss.'_ "There he is." He was running towards them when creatures from the shadows emerged from the ground. "Heartless— here?" He summoned his Keyblade. "Burn, baby, burn!" Lea charged.

From the protagonists' line of sight, numerous Heartless also appeared. Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Kairi summoned their Keyblades. However, Namine wasn't able to do so. Instead, she sat at the sidelines and watched people run around in panic while her four companions fought the monsters.

One of the Heartless was gigantic— like a Gundam robot. It was floating in the air, and it didn't really seem to be a Heartless to the blond-haired girl. Noticing a weird symbol on it instead of the normal black one, she called out to the others. "Hey, I don't think that one is a Heartless." They turned their attention to the gigantic enemy.

"What is that?" Sora yelled. "Is that one of those 'Universed'?"

"It's called 'Unversed', idiot." Riku muttered under his breath. The brunet heard it and gave him an irritated grin. "Takes one to know one."

"Why I outta—"

"You guys," Kairi piped in. "It'd be faster if you stop talking and start fighting." She jabbed a thumb to Roxas's direction who was taking the Heartless down at a fast pace. The blond teen waved. "Leave the Heartless to me. You guys take care of that thing."

Sora and Riku nodded, charging at the Unversed called Trinity Armor.

Unfortunately, it proved to have a very strong defense. After reflecting their attacks, it splitted into three and went after Namine, Kairi, and Roxas. The latter pair were able to block the assault. Namine wasn't as lucky as them. She was sent flying to the other side of the street.

Her fellow Nobody was caught off-guard. "Namine!" The Unversed used this small distraction to cast him aside. The Heartless started to gang up on him. Riku helped Kairi fend off the Unversed while Sora went to help Roxas from his attacker. The robot-like tri-Unversed was a formidable adversary.

After hitting Kairi unconscious, it seemed to have called the Heartless to help. Sora and Riku were pre-occupied with fending them off. Roxas was still underneath a pile of monsters. It was like the enemy had a sudden power boost.

The brunet tensed. "The Heartless… they weren't this strong before!"

Namine, who landed on a bunch of crates, inwardly cried. _'Why am I so useless? I can't fight for my life. My drawings are of no help, either.' _Tears silently fell from her ocean blue orbs. _'Whoever's listening, please… give me power!'_ After a moment of silence…

_"Do you really want that?"_ Someone answered. Namine nodded, not minding the voice. _'Please!'_

_"Then power you shall have." _Slowly but surely, light started to gather at her hands. _"Try to remember, the power you once had;_

_The power you once held,_

_The power you once earned,_

_The power you once used."_

Namine closed her eyes, familiar words ringing in her head.

_A man stood in front of her. He held out his Keyblade to a blond-haired child. "In your hand, take this blade. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking," He paused and smiled gently at her. "its wielder you shall one day be made."_

The light on her hands glowed brightly. She shielded her eyes. The moment it faded down, a beautiful Keyblade greeted her.

It was similar to Lost Memory, except that it had blue markings and highlights instead of red. Intricate silver curves made the handle, while the same made the tooth with a small blue piece of metal.

For some reason, Namine already knew what the Keyblade's name was without its soul calling out to her. "My… Chain of Memories." The blonde slowly stood up, clutching the weapon tightly. She mustered up her courage and ran towards the enemies. Light pour forth from the Keyblade and struck one and every Heartless.

The Unversed were blinded by the brilliance and was forced to rejoin. It fleed to a different area. Namine was about to give chase when she saw Roxas's worn out form on the ground. She immediately tended to his wounds. "You okay?"

"M'fine. How about you? Didn't strain yourself since it's your first time?"

"No." She was quite surprised with herself, wielding the Keyblade felt natural to her; it was like she was on auto-pilot or something. Namine could still feel power coursing through her body as the weapon remained on her hand.

* * *

Xertha and Xion just got out of the store when they saw the Unversed. "Time for action?" The older woman summoned her Keyblade. Xion nodded and did the same for Brightcrest.

The ravenette was now wearing a simple short-sleeved violet zip-up jacket that reached her legs. Her upper half was exposed. Underneath was a white tank top and a pair of dark green mid-thigh shorts. Xion also wore a pair of black thigh-high socks and light blue sneakers.

The cloaked woman sneered at the Trinity Armor. "Triple Firaga!" She fired the fire-elemental spell three times, hence the name. Xion followed her lead. "Fire Surge!" She and the Keyblade were covered with flames as they lunged at the enemy. The armor splitted into three and were connected by a long laser beam.

"Firaga Burst!" Xertha yelled as numerous fireballs came out from the tip of her weapon. The ravenette cartwheeled away, and followed with another assault as to prevent the Unversed from making its move. "Ignite!" And a small explosion occurred. The Unversed was shaken up and the legs and arms were both destroyed by the last attack.

All that was left was the torso and the duo shared a smirk.

The pair jumped up in the air before aiming their Keyblades at the Trinity Armor, their free hands holding the other. "Mega Flare!" A humongous ball of fire came out and hit the Unversed dead on. Once the smoke cleared, all that was left of the battle was rubble. No sign of the armor anywhere.

Xion panted as she sat on the ground. "Did we… do it?"

"No, it disappeared before we got him with the last attack. Someone was controlling the Unversed and that same guy pulled him back. Pretty easy to fend off, if you ask me."

The black-haired girl was puzzled. "Why did Roxas and the others had a hard time to dispatch it?" Xertha crossed her arms. "They are getting stronger, that's why. The Unversed are pretty much on the same level, but the Heartless seemed to have gained a boost in power because of the fading lights."

Her icy blue eyes were locked on to Xion's. "Unversed are also born from darkness. This might've affected the Heartless."

* * *

The red-haired man approached the five. "Yo." They all looked up, with the exception of Kairi who was still knocked out.

"Axel!" Roxas yelled. "Oh, wait. You're a Somebody now."

"Yeah," The pyromaniac grinned. "The name's Lea. Got it memorized?" He tapped a finger to the side of his forehead, making the blond Nobody mirror his joy. "It's really hard to forget someone like you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He made a mock sneer. Roxas laughed even more. "Seriously, you're just as bad as Isa—" Lea stopped and gazed at the ground. "Anyways, back to business." He raised his Keyblade in the air, making Roxas and Namine stare at him.

"You have a Keyblade?" The two almost shouted. The redhead ignored their remark. "Heal!" He casted a Curaga spell on Kairi, enabling Sora to wake her up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," She whispered. The princess of Heart was about to thank her savior when she saw who it was. She shrieked in alarm. Lea covered his ears. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop doing that!"

Kairi managed to calm down after a few seconds but her grip on Destiny's Embrace was tight. She was ready to attack at any moment. The pyromaniac waved his hands in surrender. "Sheesh! There's no need to be so hostile, princess."

"How can I not be hostile? You were the one who kidnapped me, Axel!"

"I did it to get Roxas back! I already lost Isa and somebody else, I didn't wanna lose him too." Lea countered. "And it's Lea! Weren't you listening?" Kairi blinked. "Isa? Who's that? Why are you calling yourself Lea?"

"Because I'm a Somebody now. About Isa—" He cursed mentally. "It's nothing."

Sora and Riku placed a hand on Kairi's shoulders. "Don't worry about him. He's one of us now." The pyromaniac waved his Keyblade at her. "He also sacrificed himself to help us back then."

The silveret nodded in agreement. "Lea did us two big favors. We wouldn't have beaten Xemnas if it wasn't for him and he helped us in the Realm of Sleep."

The red-haired female relented. "Fine," She turned to the ex-Nobody. "Let bygones be bygones. Thanks for helping my friends."

Lea grinned at her. "Not really much of a big deal. I used to do stuff like back at the Organization. You don't know how hard it is to look after Roxas."

"Hey!"

They all laughed out loud. Roxas had a slight blush of embarrassment. Letting out a small growl, he came up with a comeback. "Like you're one to talk. Who was the one who keeps getting in trouble because of the pranks on Vexen's stuff? The one who got chased by a bunch of angry dogs? The one who fell into a ditch after laughing so hard?"

"Uh…" It was his turn to blush. "W-We should get going. Everyone's waiting."

"Who?"

"Leon and the gang."

* * *

Lea lead the gang to a small bungalow. The redhead knocked on the door. "Hey, they're here!" It was swung open by none other than the hyperactive ninja girl we all know and love. "Sora!"

"Yuffie, don't be so loud." A tall brown-haired male said, and Kairi found herself staring. He was handsome. Noticing them, the man introduced himself. "I'm Leon, this is Yuffie Kisaragi."

"Now, now. Squally, you should tell them your real name."

"No, and don't call me that."

"Anyways, we're from the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee."

"It should be Radiant Garden Restoration Committee now." A brunette woman said, a kind smile on her face. "I'm Aerith Gainsborough. It's nice to finally meet Sora's friends." A blond man appeared behind her. "Eh, who're the other brats with Sora?"

"Hello, I'm Kairi." She bowed politely and stared at Leon, elbowing Riku to follow her lead. The silveret and her Nobody rolled their eyes at this.

"I'm Riku." The Keybearer said.

"Roxas."

"Namine, at your service."

"The name's Cid, Cid Highwind," The blond man said. "and I'm in charge of the Gummi ships." He looked at Sora. "I hope the one I made for Yen Sid hasn't crashed into anything yet. I worked hard on that, I tell ya."

Lea grinned at the older man. "Don't worry, Ragnarok's fine. Ienzo never said anything about casualties."

"Ragnarok?" Sora inquired.

"That's right," Cid proclaimed, seemingly proud of his creation. "The Ragnarok's originally not a Gummi ship. It was used to explore space, not the Lanes In-between. I just tweaked it a bit for ya."

Another blond showed up. "What's with all the racket here?"

The brunet's eyes widened. "Cloud?"

The former SOLDIER gave him a brief wave. "Sora." Now, both Kairi and Namine were gawking at him. "Cloud Strife." Seeing them opening their mouths, he cut them off. "No need. I already heard your names." They all went inside.

"Anyways," Riku started. "do you know anything about three Keybearers like us named Terra, Ventus, and Aqua?" Lea's eyes widened when he heard the second name. "You guys know Ven?" The pyromaniac asked.

"Yen Sid told us he was one of the previous generation Keyblade masters." Sora explained. "Do you know him?"

"Do I know him? How could I not know that guy? Me and Ventus are friends!"

"Really?" Roxas commented. "What was he like?" Lea tapped his chin in thought. "He's like you and Sora combined."

"Uh, you lost me there. What do you mean?" Riku said, joining in on their conversation.

The pyromaniac scratched his head. "He's a Roxas with Sora's cheery personality, but a lot less annoying and a lot kinder." Namine crossed her arms. "I presume he looks like Roxas, then?"

"Down to the last detail."

"Whaddaya mean 'annoying'?"

"Exactly what I meant." And another round of laughter ensued.

An elderly voice echoed in the room. "I think I may know something about the three." They turned to see…

"Merlin!" Sora yelled. "It's been a while."

"I have met three young teenagers about twelve years ago. I don't know their names but I did see that they held power within them, it must be the Keyblade." The wizard said. He crossed his arms. "However, there was something special about the blond-haired one."

Lea piped up. "You mean Ventus?"

"Ah, yes. Him. I felt a strong raw power inside the boy that I could not comprehend. I tried digging into it during out meeting but it was far too complex for me to decipher." He turned to Kairi. "I also sense that kind of aura from you, my dear."

"Me?" The redhead inquired. "But how can that be?"

"I believe I have the explanation for that." A man with pale-blond hair arrived at the scene, lab coat moving slightly with the wind from outside when he opened the door.

"Yo, Even." Sora watched the guy he met back then who was also struck down by Lea back when he was a Nobody, Vexen.

The coat-wearing man stomped a bit. "That's Dr. Even to you, Lea."

"Whatever."

"About this Ventus guy," Leon butted in. "what do you know, professor?"

"Twelve years ago, he saved Ienzo—whom you may know as Zexion during his Nobody days—from a horde of Unversed. When I first met him back at the gates of the Radiant Garden castle, I was already under the tutelage of Ansem the Wise; and therefore, was able to sense his abnormality."

"Which is?" Riku murmured.

Even smirked, proud of his own secret discovery. "That boy, Ventus, has a Heart void of darkness." Everyone stared at him, shocked of his announcement.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold yer' horses right there, doc." Lea commented, waving his arms frantically. "Whaddaya mean by that?"

"I meant what I said, unless that puny little brain of yours cannot understand my words."

"What he meant to say is," Roxas intervened. "how can a boy have a pure Heart of light? We all thought only the princesses of Heart have those."

Even tapped his chin in thought. "I don't fully understand it either, but I'm not lying. His Heart was stripped clean of it, I'm very sure." The scientist walked towards Cid. "That's all I know. Anyways, I'm here to help repair one of your defective Gummi ships. Where is it?" The blond man silently nodded to him and both left the scene.

Sora groaned and rubbed his temple. "This just makes things more complicated. What's the mystery behind Ventus?"

Merlin sighed. "Maybe it would be better to travel around other worlds. I figured out myself that he was an off-worlder when we met here."

* * *

A black-haired man limped across the streets of Radiant Garden. He was using his sword as a leverage to help him stand. Behind him were Unversed of different kinds. The man was all worn-out. When he tripped and stood up again, the creatures were already close to him.

Xertha and Xion who were hopping over rooftops saw the injured man. The two shared a look before approaching him. The raven-haired man instantly took a defensive stance. They summoned their Keyblades and faced the enemies.

"Hello there, I'm Xertha and this is Xion. We're here to help you." The cloaked woman introduced themselves. The Nobody replica nodded before attacking the monsters.

"Barrier Surge!"

"Wishing Edge!" Xertha added. The two charged at the monsters. The raven-haired male lifted himself up slightly to stand straight. He dragged his sword slowly across the ground as he prepared to launch an attack.

"Don't… leave me out… of the fight…" He raised his weapon at the creatures. "Firaga…" A burst of fire came and wiped out the enemy. The man fell on his butt after releasing it. Xion helped him up.

"Leave this one to us. You shouldn't strain yourself, sir."

"I… owe 'ya."

Xion nodded to Xertha. She aimed her Keyblade at the enemies. "Ice Barrage!" A huge chunk of ice formed around the area, completely freezing them. The cloaked woman ended the fight with one last move. "Time Splicer!" The enemies were frozen in ice and time while she teleported around, striking them relentlessly.

After defeating the hordes of Unversed, she turned to Xion who was supporting the poor man. "Heal, Curaga!" The ravenette said, patching up the injuries of the person they rescued. The sword-wielding man grinned at them both as his pain subsided.

"I really owe you two a lot now." He waved his sword like a piece of twig. It was then that the duo noticed that he had a huge bad-ass sword.

"Oh, right! What are my heroes' names? Y'know, it's pretty ironic for a hero-to-be to be saved." Xion chuckled at that. "I'm Xion."

"Xertha."

"Nice to meet you!" His blue eyes sparkled in glee. "The name's Zack Fair."

* * *

**And that's a wrap! Sorry for the late update.**

**BTW, here to inform everyone of Critics United and F F . N E T moderators. **

**Critics United are too harsh on their comments and are the reason why stories are deleted. F F . N E T moderators don't do anything to check about that group. Whatever you do, don't be discouraged by these people. Some awesome writers had their stories deleted (even if it was rated M just to be on the safe side) and left the site completely.**

**Just here to say that people, don't let 'em trample on you. If they are the cause for the deletion of fics, repost your stories (writers)! Support those reposters (readers)!**

**Don't give up on your imagination!**

**Besides, there ****IS**** a reason why there is an M-rate choice when putting up a story.**

**Ciao-ciao~! -Flonne.**


	4. Ch 4: Intertwined bonds

**I had this idea for a while, but I couldn't think of good words to make it sound awesome. Then I remembered Valhalla Knights 2. It was sort of connected.**

**The title is like that because of the characters that will appear on this chapter.**

**Enjoy and please, R & R?**

**There is also a poll in my profile about which story should I update first. Please vote!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Intertwined bonds**

* * *

"How did the story start?" The old woman stood on the sidelines. She brought out a worn-out book. "Do you want me to read the entry?"

"Yes!" A young red-haired girl nodded.

"Judgment Day," She started. "We saw a goddess descend from the heavens, but she came not bearing good news." The child's eyes were focused on her, totally mesmerized by the story.

"The gods have forsaken us."

The child could picture the scenery.

_A tall woman with both demonic and angelic wings came. She continued her onslaught upon the people, creatures with yellow eyes and red eyes appeared; black and blue in color, respectively. _

"Humanity may lack power enough to defeat the goddess now, but…" The old woman paused. "Perhaps, in a thousand years' time… we may come to attain it."

She smiled when she saw the dreamy look on the child's face. It seems that the girl was able to imagine how the story happened. The young girl pictured it perfectly.

_T'was a barren wasteland; once filled with light, now filled with darkness. In the middle of it all stood six people wielding Key-shaped weapons, the seventh leaving with another man who only had a regular sword._

"I am prepared to give my life if only to gain more time."

_The remaining six charged at the enemies, killing them one by one. _

"Mark these words," The elderly woman had a foreboding tone in her voice. "Trust the gods no more."

_The winged woman turned into a being of darkness. She became a dragon-like monster with crimson blood eyes and black body. Two insignias were carved onto her, now its, chest. It flew towards the warriors._

"Have you the time to pray, have children and raise them." She flipped the page. "Give them swords and strengthen their minds."

_The six jumped into the air, clashing with the dragon creature. It breathed out a pitch black fire. All of them combined their Key-shaped weapons, making a large Key appear. It was pure gold, with 6 colors of the rainbow shining from the weapon. _

"Live… let nothing sway your will to live." The woman coughed slightly as she read. "Mankind, to live is to hope, and to hope—"

_A strong light and a strong darkness clashed. The forces of light were wiped out. The dragon-like creature reverted back to its original form. The winged woman had 13 Hearts of pure darkness on her sword. The six Hearts of light merged with the sword, turning it into another Key-shaped weapon. _

_This time, the sword looked like two Keys intertwined in the middle; dual handles connected together. It was incomplete though, since it didn't stop flickering._

"Is my plea to you."

* * *

_A woman stared into the seemingly bottomless sky blue eyes of a healthy baby boy. The infant reached out to them, tears falling down his cheeks. The woman had the same eyes but had black hair. She gave the baby a pained smile before a small glow of light came out from her hand._

_"My child. How I wish not to depart from our home." She placed her glowing hand on the baby's right wrist. An insignia of Kingdom Hearts was etched to his skin. "We already lost your brother, we don't want to lose you too."_

_The door was slammed open and in came a man with golden eyes. "We have to leave immediately! It seems that they have invaded the castle!"_

_"T-That fast? What happened to the other? And what about our third child?" The woman rubbed her bulging belly. "Both of us failed to ensure our firstborn a good birth and our second became sickly. I don't want anything to happen to our third one."_

_"Don't worry, my dear," The man approached and gave her a light hug. "We'll get through this. Both of them will be safe." He bit his lip. "But the others," He clenched his fists. "they didn't make it."_

_She gasped and tears fell once more. She didn't expect her friends to die like that. "Their deaths won't be in vain if we leave immediately," Her husband whispered. "We have to get our only hopes away from here."_

_The couple nodded to each other. The woman scooped up the baby in the basket while supporting her belly as they fled. The man stayed behind her to watch for any trailers. They were able to leave the premises; a humongous pure white palace with black highlights and carvings._

_The parents ran into the forest at the outskirts. Unfortunately, they were not able to go far when their pursuers attacked._

_The enemies, black creatures with yellow eyes along with blue creatures with red eyes caught up to them. They were under the command of the giant woman with both demonic and angelic wings. She had a metallic blindfold and held the dual Key-shaped sword. Black miasma was gathering around her._

_People from the towns built inside the palace grounds screamed and escaped for their lives. The woman shrieked as she embraced her child tighter. "The Heartless and Unversed… they're attacking our people!"_

_Her husband had a grimace on his face. "There's nothing we can do. Let's go." He grabbed the woman's free hand and they ran further into the forest. Numerous Neoshadows and Floods appeared before them. The man unsheathed his sword and blocked the oncoming strikes._

_"Get out of here, quick!"_

_"What about you?"_

_"I'll be fine, just look out for the kids!" The father charged at the creatures, successfully distracting them. The mother used this opportunity to get away. She cried silently as her own baby mimicked her. He started to sob and sniffle._

_At the edge of the forest was a large gate with beautiful designs. Seven stars were carved onto it, with a small heart-like insignia in the middle of each one. The woman summoned something from thin air; a Keyblade. She shot out a beam of light to the door, revealing a crystallized Keyhole._

_The gate was opened. Light flooded the area. Once the woman fully entered, it disappeared._

* * *

"Can you tell me more, grandma?" The red-haired girl inquired an old woman as she continued to pick flowers from the garden. The elderly woman chuckled before placing her hands on her hips. "Now, now, Kairi. You shouldn't rush an old soul like me when telling a story. You don't want me to spoil the good parts, do you?" The toddler shook her head.

"So what happened to the mommy of the kids?" Kairi asked, tapping her chin in thought. Her grandma gave a smile and a slight pause. "She escaped to a different world. No one knows what happened soon after."

"And their home?"

"Their home was divided into many more worlds, Kairi. They say that Radiant Garden is one of the towns back at the palace grounds."

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows. "How did that happened? Is it because of the monsters?"

The old woman shook her head. "I don't know, dear."

"Grandma, who was she anyway?"

She smiled. "The woman was the queen of Kingdom Hearts, a legendary world far beyond our reach."

* * *

**12 years later**

* * *

"Zack, it's nice to meet you." Xertha greeted the raven-haired male. The ex-SOLDIER grinned at her as he took a closer look at the cloaked woman. "Hm, have I seen you somewhere before?"

Under the hood, the woman raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think that?"

"Your eyes," He pointed out. "They seem familiar to me." Xion decided to speak up. "Um, Xertha?"

"Yes?" The cloaked woman muttered, pulling her hood down even further. "What was the reason for coming here? Why did we go to this area?"

"I sensed the Heartless," She explained, jabbing a thumb to the only male in the group. "and him. He's an off-worlder, that's for sure."

The Nobody replica raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?" She dismissed her Keyblade, crossing her arms. "It's as if you know him."

"Well, you may believe this or not but…" And she told them how.

Zack and Xion looked at each other before staring at Xertha with their jaws a bit open. The raven-haired pair had a look of disbelief on their faces. The cloaked woman scratched the back of her head. _'Their stares are making me a bit nervous.'_

"Y-You mean that was you?"

Xion grumbled a bit before laughing out loud. "I can't believe it! Zack actually… pfft… hahaha!" The older pair blushed. Xertha lifted her hood to Zack just to make him see and pulled it back down immediately.

The 1st class SOLDIER smiled at her. "Small world, huh."

Xertha rolled her eyes and snorted. "More like small universe." On the side, Xion was still trying to stop her laughter. The elder lady tapped her foot impatiently. "C'mon, Xion. We still have to give a heads up to the others."

The ravenette's laughter finally died down, but a smile threatened to show on her face. "Right."

* * *

Back at the Chamber of Waking, Ven's memories were slowly being restored due to his partial awareness. Familiar voices echoed in his head.

_**"I promise, I'll wait for you even if it takes forever!"**_

_"Take care of yourself now. I'm sorry I won't be around to see you grow up."_

_"Light and Darkness are a balance. One can't outweigh the other."_

_"I can sense a lot of potential from you. Come with me, child."_

_"You dare refuse the power?"_

_"Sure! If it'll make you feel better."_

_**"We'll always find our way back to each other."**_

_"Thank you, Ven. My name's Snow White."_

_"Okay, Ven. Need something? Ask Jaq!"_

_"I'm certain you have a pure heart, just like our precious Aurora."_

_"I'm Mickey!"_

_"And… well, let's say I have a feeling we are destined to cross paths again."_

_**"After all, we're friends now."**_

_"Way to go, Ven!"_

_"Stop by once me and him are both heroes!"_

_"Ven, friend."_

_"Next time ya visit, we'll have an even bigger chest waitin'. Enough for all those treasures and lots more."_

_"Terra and I will be back to wake you up before you know it."_

_**"An unbreakable connection."**_

Ven's fingers continued to twitch madly. His hand suddenly moved, summoning Wayward Wind. After a split-second, it disappeared. His Wayfinder resonated with the Keyblade, making it glimmer.

His fingers continued to twitch when he felt someone's presence; someone he knew.

_'Isa?'_

* * *

At the room parallel to Ven's, the hooded figure sleeping on the throne held their hand out. The Keyblade wrapped up in cloth moved on its own and ended up on the mystery person's grasp.

The hand twirled the wrapped Keyblade. As the weapon rotated, a portal was opening slowly around the throne. Out of the portal came Wayward Wind. It was shrouded in light. The Keyblade illuminated the room, revealing everything in it.

Instead of Keyblade Master symbols, it had the symbols of a crown; exactly like Sora's necklace. The symbols were chained, connected to the throne. The Keyblade of the hooded figure fell to the floor with a loud clank.

Ven's Wayward Wind spun around, creating Aeroga-like shockwaves, just before fading away. The winds were able to reveal a bit of the figure's face.

The figure was wearing a long white dress. Pale blond hair came out from the hood. The person, revealed to be a girl, had a small smile on her face.

_"You came back for me, Ven. I always knew you would; never doubted it once."_

A slight breeze blew around her.

_"After all, I promised that I'd wait for you no matter how long it takes. I trust you."_

On her neck was a shining silver crown necklace.

* * *

Roxas sensed an odd presence. He turned around, looking around frantically. Somehow, the presences felt familiar to him. He looked at his companions. "I'm going to check out the area for any Heartless or Unversed." The others nodded, totally oblivious to the auras.

The blond teen walked further into the deserted shopping district towards the Central Square. The Nobody scanned the area. There seems to be no one around, until he felt something headed to his direction. Roxas sidestepped just in time to dodge a blue-colored blade.

It wasn't simply a blade; it was a Keyblade.

He was shocked. _'How did…?'_ The blond saw three figures standing on a rooftop. Two of them wore cloaks just like the Organization, and the last one wore torn robes over his form. Their faces were hidden. He noticed that one of the two cloaked people had a Keyblade, and the last one had a giant sword.

They jumped down from the roof and landed right in front of him. Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. He adapted a defensive stance. "Who are you?"

"That's too bad," The figure with a Keyblade said. "You don't remember me at all; and after helping you escape the Dive to Heart, too." His eyes widened. "You're that cloak guy, Xertha! "

"Correction; cloaked _woman_." Xertha crossed her arms. "At least you got my name." The other cloaked figure behind her giggled and approached Roxas. The Nobody jumped away. The person sighed as they pulled out the Keyblade from the ground.

The figure removed their hood and revealed a ravenette's face, Xion. Roxas's eyes narrowed. "Why do you look like Kairi?" Xion had watery eyes when he said that. _'H-He still sees me all the same. He doesn't see me as Sora… I'm glad.'_

"I'm Xion, a Nobody who can wield the Keyblade just like you." The blond raised an eyebrow. "And where did you get it?"

"My… Somebody," _'If I can consider you as my Somebody since I'm your clone,'_ She mentally added. "has one."

"Xion, huh." Roxas looked down for a moment. _'Why does she make me feel nostalgic? Have I met her before?'_

Xion nodded, and nudged Zack with her elbow. The SOLDIER laughed sheepishly. "Full name's Zachary, likes to be called Zack Fair instead. Nice to meet 'ya." He offered his hand for a shake. Sora's Nobody took it.

"What is it that you need from me?"

"Oh, nothing much," Xertha off-handedly commented. "We're just here to unlock a bit of your power and some advice." She appeared behind Roxas and touched his Keyblades. Light came out from her hands. The blond's Keyblades began to morph, taking familiar shapes.

Oathkeeper became a blade, mix of black and silver. Oblivion turned into a metallic Keyblade with a Chakram for a Keychain. Roxas stared at his weapons. They turned into Two Become One and Bond of Flames respectively.

"W-Wha…"

"Those are the true forms of your blades," The woman explained. "Oathkeeper and Oblivion belong to Sora, representing Kairi and Riku. Those forms represent your two best friends back in Organization XIII."

Roxas stared at Bond of Flames. "I get this one. It's Ax— Lea, right?" Xertha nodded. He raised Two Become One. "Who does this blade represent?" _'Lea was the only friend I had in the group for as long as I can remember, but I feel like I'm forgetting someone important.'_

Xion smiled at him, but he can tell it was the sad kind. He felt something in his chest clenching and something in his stomach unsettling. The ravenette spoke softly. "That one, represents the bonds you have with a forgotten person." Roxas looked at her in surprise. "She sacrificed herself to save you, even if it meant erasing your memories of her."

"She?" The blond inquired. "Then you know who that person is?" Xion nodded. "What's her name?" The black-haired Kairi look-alike shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. You have to find it out yourself, as well as discovering who you really are."

"I don't get it." Roxas murmured. Zack sighed and crossed his arms. "We can't do anything to help you get those memories back. All we can give you is an advice for your adventure."

Xertha pulled out a glowing glass shard from under her cloak. "This is a Heart shard. This, is the reason why the worlds' lights are fading." Seeing his confused look, she continued. "Someone's removing these with the power of darkness. You must not use the darkness to extract these, lest you want the world's light to fade. The one who wants them all— he's evil."

Zack nodded at her statement. "Ya hafta find all the other shards before the enemy gets them. The one who collects and the one who has reappeared, they're the same person. He's working for this guy named Xehanort." The cloaked woman kneeled before Roxas, placing a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Take it," The Heart shard flew to Roxas's chest. "Keep it safe. You're the only who can truly have them. Even my Keyblade," She raised it. "cannot contain its power for very long. If you really want to find the previous generation of Keybearers along with preventing the fading lights, you have collect all of those shards."

Xertha gestured to Xion and Zack. She gave one last glance to Roxas. "You have to find the remaining twelve before the enemies. Don't worry, we're also helping search for them." She closed her eyes solemnly as they turned their backs on him and walk away.

Xion hummed to herself. "The shards are probably in worlds you haven't visited before."

"You're the only one who can do it, Roxas. You are the Key of Destiny, after all," Zack added.

"I have one last question."

"Hm?" Xertha gave him a sideway glance.

"The clones of people I knew back at the station— were they Axel and Saix back when they were Somebodies?"

"Yes."

* * *

Roxas was quiet when he came back. The others noticed something was off about him. Lea was the first to react. "What's wrong, Rox? You seem… bothered by something."

"It's nothing," He sighed and looked at the sky. "It's just… I think I know why the lights are fading." Everyone looked at him as if he gained another head.

Riku furrowed his eyebrows. "How would you know that?"

"I've been wondering about it for a while," The Nobody lied. _'I don't think this is something that they should know for now.'_ "What if there was some sort of catalyst or an item that aids in maintaining the light? What if that item was removed with the power of darkness?" He paces around. "I think we should go to worlds we haven't seen so far."

Seeing the other's doubtful expressions, Namine tapped her chin in thought. "True, that would make a lot of sense. Besides, it's the only lead we've got. Better than nothing, if you ask me."

Kairi nodded. "I guess so. We won't lose anything if we follow a false lead, right?" The redhead glanced at her two male friends. Sora seemed to have agreed as well, but the silveret remained wary. Kairi and Namine gave him the puppy-dog eye look.

"I don't know," He admitted. "There's a big chance we might endanger ourselves with the darkness." _'Sora and I failed our first try on the Mark of Mastery test. This attempt seems much more dangerous than before.'_ He glanced at Roxas. _'He seems to be hiding something, too. What did he see, anyway?'_ The teen internally sighed. _'If I want to know, I guess I'll just have to take the gamble.'_

Acting as if he took the bait, Riku sighed in exasperation. "Fine— just stop giving me those stares. They can be a bit unnerving." _'There. Hook, line, and sinker.'_ True to his expectations, the princess and her Nobody giggled to themselves and did a hi-five.

The user of darkness shook his head in amusement. _'Looks like I have to investigate this on my own without getting their attention.'_

* * *

The pair of golden eyes in the shadows gleamed mischievously. The person finally stepped out of the shadows. A blond-haired teen holding a sitar came out. He grinned to himself when he saw the group oblivious to his presence.

"They haven't noticed anything," He called out to his companion. An older man with a stack of cards revealed his hiding place. Just like the younger male, he had golden eyes. Both of them had pointy ears but the older had a darker skin compared to his original color.

"Whaddaya think of my new super-awesome hiding powers, uncle Rodul?" The old man snorted.

"You're still a bit jumpy, Myde. Fix that happy-go-lucky habit of yours and you probably wouldn't blow your cover anymore." The sitar-carrying teen did a little dance. He grinned full-heartedly at his supposedly relative.

"I can't wait for my next performance. I may have been beated in the Battle of 1000 Heartless, but I'm whole now. I'm a lot stronger." He glanced at the previous battlefield. "Though, this whole spy mission is a waste of Heartless and Unversed."

Rodul grinned. "Did you forget that Vanitas can make as much Unversed as he wants while Heartless are infinite in number? You're still the forgetful wimpy IX I know."

Myde mirrored his action. "And you're still the old sarcastic X I know."

A portal of darkness opened behind them. A woman with light blond hair came out, twirling a knife between her fingers. Just like them, she had pointy ears and golden eyes. Similar to the older man, she had a bit of a tan.

Myde immediately glomped her. "Yay, sissy's here!" The older woman growled.

"Don't call me, 'sissy'!" The younger ignored her yell. Rodul snorted. "What did Mansex sent you here for, Relena?" He kept staring over her head. "And I sorta miss those antenna hair of yours."

The young lady growled at him. "Old man Rodul, Superior _Xemnas_ sent me to give you your new mission-proper," She pulled out a piece of paper. "Said you had to cause some trouble in a place called Dwarf Woodlands." The two nodded. She grumbled to herself, "Those stupid antenna hair were _so_ out of fashion."

When she was leaving, Rodul grabbed her hand.

"When are you returning from your next mission with Amarliu? We haven't had a little family bonding time in a while," He said. Relena crossed her arms, giving him an uninterested stare; yet the old man knew that his niece was simply acting cool and really wanted to spend time with them every now and then.

"Marly and I are probably gonna be finished tomorrow night." She entered the portal. Her younger brother waved at her. "Bye, sissy!" The blonde smirked at him.

"Watch that clumsy ass of yours, brat. Old man Rodul isn't getting any younger, so cut him some slack."

"Hey!" The two males shouted. Relena was already gone.

* * *

Isa and Braig still kept on searching Castle Oblivion high and low for a certain room. The eyepatched man sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Let's take a break."

"No," The ever loyal subordinate of Xemnas replied. "Every moment wasted could lead to an inevitable change of course. We must not let the odds be against our favor, Braig." He snorted and muttered to himself. "The ever loyal puppy. I liked him better back when he and flamebrain used to storm the castle for kicks."

The blue-haired man turned to him, staring suspiciously. "What did you say?" Isa was giving him the evil stink eye of doom. Braig sighed and scratched his head.

"Nothin', second-in-command Isa… puppy-boy." He whispered the last part when the bluenet was far away from him enough to not pick it up.

Isa was lost in his thoughts about the castle's mappings.

_"Isa, is that you?"_

He suddenly had a headache. The blue-haired man clutched his temple and knelt on the ground, taking his companion by surprise.

_"I'm glad! It's been a long time since I last saw you."_

"You okay, puppy-boy?" Braig accidentally slipped out. Isa sneered at him. "I'm fine, one-eye." The older male rolled his eye. "That the only insult you can come up with? Flamebrain was right, you are a stick-in-the-mud." Isa's eyebrow twitched, but he couldn't make a retort because his headache turned into a full-blown migraine.

_"Where's Lea? I don't see him anywhere."_

"Mutt-face?" Isa blacked out all of the sudden. That made the other worry. The second-in-command never let any insult to him pass by. Braig stared at his kneeling form when the bluenet stood up, opened a Corridor of Darkness, and left the eyepatched man without a word.

"Hey, wait just a darn minut—!" But the blue-haired man did not listen and kept on going.

* * *

**So I'm pretty sure you already know who they are. As for Amarliu, I wanted to keep the nickname 'Marly' that's why I didn't name him Lumaria.**

**I think it isn't fair that Roxas's main Keyblades are used by Sora frequently (since they're included in one of his Drive forms), so I sorta changed his Keyblades to fit himself even better. Besides, Kairi and Riku aren't his best friends; they're Xion and Axel/Lea. That's pretty much the reason behind the whole morphing thing.**

**Also, I'm pretty sure everyone understands why this chapter is 'Intertwined bonds'. All characters are related somehow.**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


	5. Ch 5: Wayward Wind

**Sorry for the late chappie! Hope you guys R & R.**

**Have nothing else to say but more screen time for my fave male character in the series!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Wayward Wind**

* * *

Sora and the rest of the gang went aboard Ragnarok. The brunet stared at his Nobody and the male redhead chat inanimatedly. He had never seen the other so happy before. He watched the blond smile and laugh along with his best friend. _'I wish he wouldn't feel awkward around the rest of us.'_

The brunet was not oblivious to the fact that Roxas felt out of place when he, Kairi, and Riku were there. During their trip, the Nobody only spoke to Namine; and he did it just for a few times. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a chuckle from Lea. He saw that the pair were looking at the sunset.

"Hey, Roxas."

"Hm?"

"Do you still remember why the sun sets red?" The Nobody's eyes softened at the memory._ 'At first I thought you were just being a know-it-all, but I finally understood why you said that,' _He nodded to the pyromaniac. _'Of all the members, you were the one that did the most missions, the one that pulled the ropes from within, the one that touched people's Hearts even though you were a Nobody. You've affected a lot of lives.'_

Roxas and Lea shared a knowing look. "Out of all the lights, red travels the farthest," The two chorused and did a hi-five. The Nobody continued to enter the Gummi ship. "Good to have you back… Eight."

The redhead grinned. "Good to be back, Thirteen."

For some reason, Sora saw their appearances change. Lea suddenly looked younger, and Roxas wore different clothes. When he blinked, they were back to normal. _'Well, that was weird.'_

* * *

Isa wordlessly came out of the portal. The blue-haired man found himself in a pure white room. From his position, he can see a familiar blond-haired boy sleeping on a throne. The man's golden eyes switched to teal.

He gasped silently and examined himself. A smile crept up on his face. _'I'm in control again. But why?'_

_"Isa."_ He looked around to see who spoke. The bluenet knew that the unconscious teen didn't open his mouth.

_"It's me, Ventus. Don't you remember me?"_ He blinked, bewildered. _'Ven?'_ Images flashed before his eyes, and the man suddenly remembered his encounter with the teen ten years ago. _'Why did this happen to you?'_

Isa approached the boy on the throne. He shook him a bit, but the younger blond wouldn't wake up. "Ventus?" The other did not respond until a while later.

_"Don't bother, Isa. My body is asleep for now." _Noticing his friend's confusion, Ven continued. _"My Heart… it's somewhere out there. I have no idea what place it might be, but I do know it's safe."_

"If you don't have a Heart," Isa started. "how come you're not a Nobody? Why are you trapped in here? Where is your Heartless? Why are you still a teenager?"

A fleeting smile appeared on Ventus's face. _"I have no idea. Somehow, my memories… were affected roughly a year ago. I can't help but feel that I forgot an important detail. As for why I'm here,"_ Ventus's arm moved, summoning Wayward Wind. Isa looked astounded. "Keyblade…" He murmured.

_"As for my age, I think being stuck in this room is preventing me from getting old."_

"I see."

_"This maze," _The blond dematerialized the weapon. _"Castle Oblivion wasn't always like this. A friend of mine named Aqua left me here and changed the place to protect me, while my Heart is recovering in a secret place."_

Isa hummed to himself. "What exactly is Castle Oblivion before?"

_"Castle Oblivion was once known as the Land of Departure, my home."_ An image of a huge castle-like building with numerous mountains and beautiful landscape entered the blue-haired man's mind. Isa started to ponder about his situation. "Why am I suddenly in control of my body again?"

_"I used a bit of my power to bring you here and block out Xehanort's control." _The blue-haired man's smile disappeared when the blond asked the next question. _"Where's Lea? I don't see him anywhere with that Braig-guy outside."_

"Lea is," He whispered. "somewhere with another Keyblade wielder like you." Ven was faintly surprised. _"A Keybearer? Who? Is this person marked by another bearer as well?"_ Isa shook his head. _"_I don't understand what you mean, but Sora has been able to use the Keyblade without help from what I learned."

_"Hm, so his name is Sora."_ Ventus started to hum. _"Does he have a crown necklace on him?"_

The man crossed his arms. "As a matter of fact, yes. That was his trademark, from what Mansex told me."

The blond smiled. _"Then he is marked. It is impossible for anyone to wield a Keyblade without meeting a bearer before." _Isa felt his mind slipping bit by bit. He clutched his head. "What's happening, Ventus?"

_"My power is weak. It seems that I can't hold off Xehanort's control any longer,"_ He noted the other's disappointed expression. _"Tell ya what: I'll use a bit of my power to make you subconsciously come here without anyone realizing that. Once you leave this room, your controlled self won't be able to remember our meeting."_ Isa's eyes flashed from teal to gold repetitively.

_"Open a Corridor of Darkness and leave now, hurry!" _The man did as told and left before he was manipulated again. "Goodbye, Ven."

Ventus sighed as he was left alone again. _"Isa, what happened to you? Why was Xehanort able to control you, when you have a stronger will than Lea?" _The wind settled down for a bit. The blond's spirit felt a warm light from a distance.

His Wayfinder shone. _"He found me already, huh." _A smile was on his face again. _"Sora, do you still remember who gave you that necklace? Roxas, do you even know who you are? Until both of you find the answers, they will be waiting for you."_ He felt his consciousness being pulled somewhere else. _"You're calling for me already?"_

* * *

Roxas was falling. He opened his eyes and saw himself in a dark void. The Nobody felt numb. _'Where am I?'_ Suddenly, he stopped. The blond fell flat on the ground. He grumbled, nursing his backside. The teen brushed away imaginary dust from his clothes and stood up.

"Ugh, my head hurts a bit."

_"Giving up already? C'mon, Ven. I thought you were stronger than that."_ The blond noticed that his surroundings changed; and from afar, a blue-haired girl was standing at the sidelines while watching two teens spar.

The Nobody realized that one of them looked like him. Roxas found himself walking towards them. He called out to the bluenette. "Excuse me, miss. Do you know where I am?" She didn't respond, as if he was never there. The girl simply cheered on his look-alike.

_"Ven, you almost had him. Just try it again!"_

The brown-haired male had a mock hurt expression. _"Hey, wait. You're teaming up now?"_

His clone stood again and picked up the wooden sword. _'I guess I should just ask them once they're done.'_ Roxas crossed his arms and saw that he was transparent; like a ghost. _'W-Wha—'_

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the doppelganger rushed towards the brunet. However, he was still unsuccessful.

The Nobody quietly watched as the trio sat on the edge; the two boys finally done and exhausted with their spar. The brunet started a new conversation.

_"Ven. You see all those dents and nicks you got?"_

The girl spoke up. _"Each one of those is proof you're learning." _The transparent blond decided that he should keep quiet for now and listen in on their chat. He noticed the elder male speaking up again.

_"You're trying too hard to move your body," _He explained, lifting his own wooden sword that resembled a Keyblade. _"You need to learn to let your body move you. Right?"_ The brunet stood up and cleared his throat. His two friends watched him curiously.

The male raised the sword. _"In your hand, take this blade."_ Roxas blinked. _'That phrase… it feels like I've heard it before.'_

_"And so long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking," _He paused. _"its wielder you shall one day be made." _The blue-haired girl laughed. _"What's _that_ about? Who went and made you master?" _The Nobody crossed his arms. _'Master? Master of what?'_

_"Being a Keyblade master is all I've dreamed about," _The eldest announced proudly. The doppelganger and the girl shared a look before staring at their friend. She smiled at him._ "Well, you're not the only one."_

_"I know," _The brunet kneeled in front of the blond. _"You, me, and Ven… all share the same dream." _He handed out the wooden sword to the youngest; said teen smiled and took it. Roxas noticed something was tugging in his chest. The ethereal blond placed a hand over it. _'This scene, it makes me feel nostalgic.'_ A wave of sadness washed over him. _'Why?'_

The scene faded away slowly. The Nobody didn't understand but he was trying to reach out to them. "Wait!" The blond teen saw something shining in the distance. It was falling in the endless abyss of darkness. Roxas ran towards the item and caught it. A green star-shaped charm greeted him.

"Oh, you found it."

The teen turned around and saw his look-alike walking to his direction. He was alarmed at once and tried to summon his Keyblades, only to fail. Roxas inwardly panicked. The doppelganger grinned. "Relax, I'm not an enemy. I'm just here to take back what's mine." He extended his arm out, hand open. "Can I please have my Wayfinder back?"

"You mean this?" He waved the charm. His clone nodded. Roxas hesitantly gave it back, guard up and ready to defend himself for any assaults. The other blond's grin widened. "Thank you. You have no idea how important this is to me." He tapped his chin for a while before continuing. "That's right, I haven't told you who I am."

He brought his other hand out for a shake. "My name's Ventus. You can call me Ven." Roxas sensed no hostility from the other so he took the hand. He was about to introduce himself when Ventus shook his head. "There's no need. I already know your name."

"How?"

The blond took out a silver crown necklace from his pocket. Roxas was taken aback. "That pendant… how did you get it from Sora?" Ventus hummed to himself as he tossed it to the Nobody. "That's because it's mine, not his."

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Who are you really?"

"I told you, I'm Ventus."

"Let me rephrase that; what are you?"

"You'll have to find that out for yourself." He turned around and walked away, gradually disappearing in the darkness. The Nobody had a confused look on his face. His doppelganger simply glanced at him. "All I can tell you is that you're the one that will lead the princesses and show them the path of the Heart. You are the one who holds the balance of Twilight."

Roxas looked down. "I don't understand."

"You can take your time, no one is rushing you."

"But—"

"Someday, you will remember who you really are." He held out his hand in front of the other. "Sleep and farewell."

The blond teen blacked out.

* * *

Sora was having a similar dream. Ventus also appeared to him; this time, wearing the Organization's cloak. The scene he saw, however, was different. The blond showed his past to the brunet.

Sora was confused. He saw Roxas walking towards the cliff. He called out to his Nobody. "Hey, Roxas!" But the blond didn't seem to notice him.

_"Wow…"_ He heard his other half say. Roxas laid on the ground as he watched the meteor shower. _"Why does this seem so familiar?"_ He fell asleep under the starry night sky.

After a while, Roxas sat up. He stretched and yawned, then continued to lay down. Once he plopped onto the grass again, Sora saw a blue-haired girl quietly approach him and stand above his Nobody. When the blond opened his eyes, he was surprised; sitting up in alarm. _"Whoa!"_

She chuckled. The blond laughed a bit. _"Gimme a break, Aqua."_

_"Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead. You know you should have at least brought a blanket."_ The brunet was puzzled. Why would the Aqua-person call his Nobody 'Ven'? _'I'll just watch more.'_

_"But— did I dream that place up?"_ He looked down._ "It really felt like I'd been there before… looking up at the stars…"_ The bluenette rubbed his head, giggling._ "'Cept you've always lived here with us."_

_"Yeah…"_ He looked up. _"I know."_ The two sat on the edge. _"Hey, Aqua."_

_"Hm?"_

_"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?"_ 'Roxas' looked at the sky. Aqua thought for a while. Meanwhile, the brunet felt another presence. He was about to summon his Keyblade when he saw a brown-haired teen walk to the pair. _"Hmm… well, they say—" _

His deep voice cut through her explanation. _"That every star up there is another world."_ Aqua smiled. _"Terra."_ The older brunet nodded to her, acknowledging her call._ "Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own."_ He walked closer. _"The light is their hearts, and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns."_

'Roxas' raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. _"What? I don't get it."_ Terra smiled. _"In other words, they're just like you, Ven." _The blond stood up next to the brunet. _"What does _that _mean?"_ Sora swore he has never seen that side of his Nobody before. _"It's pretty fun watching them,"_ He murmured.

_"You'll find out someday, I'm sure."_

_"I wanna know now."_ 'Roxas' pouted at the elder.

_"You're too young to know now." _

_"Quit treating me like a kid."_ Aqua watched them, clearly amused. She started to giggle. Terra commented. "_Hey, what are you laughing at?"_

_"I can't help it. You two would make the weirdest brothers." _The pair looked at her weirdly. "Huh?" The pair then joined in the laughter. They sat on the edge again, watching the sky.

_"Oh, yeah."_ The bluenette stood up. _"Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow."_ Sora slightly gasped when he heard it. _'Mark of Mastery exams! They have one, but how?'_

She brought out three differently-colored star-shaped charms, just like his. The brunet fished out the same charm from his pocket, pinkish in color. Theirs were green, blue, and orange. _"I made us good luck charms."_ She smiled at them, tossing one to Terra. 'Roxas' saw them and grinned.

_"Here!"_ She also tossed one to the Nobody. _"I get one too?"_

_"Of course,"_ She held out her charm. The two did the same. _"One for each of us."_

_"Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit…"_ The hiding brunet knew what she was talking about, the paopu fruit. He didn't know it was _that_ popular.

_"And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection." _She raised her charm. _"So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other."_ She turned to them. _"Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had."_

_"Oy, sometimes you are such a girl."_ Terra commented. Aqua narrowed her eyes. _"Hey, what do you mean, 'sometimes'?"_ Sora smiled at the scene. _'They remind me of… well, myself, Kairi and Riku.'_

'Roxas' looked down. _"So this isn't a real good luck charm?"_ The bluenette pondered about this for a while. _"Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it."_

_"Really? What?"_

She raised the charm in mid-air. _"An unbreakable connection."_

After that, the three continued to chat about mundane things. The older teens stood up and walked away. Terra called out to 'Roxas'. _"Hey, we're gonna head back."_

_"Yeah. Me too!" _He ran towards the pair. _"Together… always."_ Aqua held the Wayfinder close to her chest. Sora heard voices from behind.

"That would be the last night we ever spent beneath the same stars." Three cloaked figures appeared before him. Just like Roxas, he tried to summon his Keyblade; only to fail. "Don't bother," The one in the middle commented.

The brunet recognized him; he was the same person who showed up in his last dream. Unlike before, two new cloaked figures appeared; a total of five. Sora looked at the one in the middle. "Those three, they're all of you." He removed his hood.

"That's right," The blond stated. "I'm Ventus, you can call me Ven." The brunet waited for the other four to respond, but they weren't. He raised an eyebrow at his Nobody's look-alike. "Um… aren't they going to say something?"

The blond shook his head. "Unfortunately, they are just their lingering wills. I can't seem to make a stable connection with their Hearts." Sora crossed his arms. "How are you able to do that? No one, not even the princesses of Heart know how to. Who are you?"

"I am me. Nothing more, nobody else." The area morphed into Twilight Town, with the blue moon of Kingdom Hearts shining down upon them. "Simply Ventus."

The Keybearer shielded his eyes from the brightness. "What are you? H-How… how is it that you can make Kingdom Hearts appear on a whim?"

The blond closed his eyes. "This is just a dream, Sora. Anything can happen here."

His Nobody's look-alike started to disappear. Darkness overwhelmed the scenery. The brunet had a hesitant expression on his face. "There's no need to be afraid of the darkness, for you hold the mightiest weapon off all… so don't forget, you are the one that will open the door."

Sora was frozen in his place. He knew that voice… those words… the same ones said to him when he first discovered the Keyblade; the very same words he heard from his first adventure. "You—"

"You have the Key to save us all." Ventus gave him a mysterious smile. "You may not know who I am and you may not understand what is coming, but everything will reveal itself… in time." He tossed something sparkling to the Keybearer. He opened his hands and was faintly surprised to see the crown necklace.

The blond retreated to nothingness. "Do what you do best, Sora."

The brunet lost consciousness.

* * *

Sora woke up with a start when he felt a weight bounce up and down on his chest. He noticed that Chip and Dale were close to his face. He yelped in surprise. "Whoa! Seriously, don't scare me like that."

The two chipmunks giggled and jumped down from him. "Kairi told us to wake ya up, sleepyhead!" The brunet scratched his cheek slightly, looking around a bit alarmed. No one can blame him if they knew about his dreams. _'I wonder what Ventus wants from me, why he chose me.'_ He felt something inside his curled fists and opened it. Sora realized that he was clutching the crown necklace.

He immediately went to feel his neck for the chain. It wasn't there. He stared at the necklace. _'So this is real.'_ The brunet remembered the two chipmunks in the room and saw them staring at him questioningly. "Uh… just forgot that I took off my necklace. Don't sweat it." The two accepted his answer and ran out of the room. They shouted to him, "We've landed at our first world!"

The Keybearer shook his head and wore the necklace. _'I'll just think about this later. Mission over personal issues first!'_

* * *

Roxas woke up with a start, clutching his chest at the exact moment he sat up. The Nobody gasped for air and stared at his shaking fists. That Ventus guy… what did he want? _'I'm confused. I wish he would explain things better so I'd understand the situation.'_

_"There's no need for me to explain anything. Everything will reveal itself in due time."_ The blond whipped his head around and saw his doppelganger waving at him, standing at a corner. Roxas scrambled off the bed and almost shrieked. "What the hell are you doing here? What if they see you?"

The other blond laughed heartily. _"Relax. No one can hear or see me but you."_ He looked away. _"I suggest you talk to me through your mind. Others will think you're crazy, chatting with air." _The Nobody sighed and rubbed the back of his head non-stop. _'Seriously, don't appear out of nowhere like that. It gave me the hibbie-jeebies.'_

"You just have to get used to it," Ventus said. "because you'll be seeing me a lot out here from now on." Roxas crossed his arms. _'Well, what do you want? I still don't get half of what you told me.'_

His look-alike gave him a bright smile. _"There's so many things I need to tell you. I thought that the fastest way to tell you would be face-to-face. I'll be your guide, and you can ask me questions during the adventure."_ He approached him. _"Sort of like an in-game pop-up manual."_

The Nobody hurriedly fixed the bed and wore his jacket. _'You sure no one will see you?'_

Ventus simply grinned. _"Totally positive,"_ He opened the door, which made the other freak out a bit. _'H-Hey, someone's bound to notice you if you move things out of the blue. They'll think there's a ghost around!'_ The transparent blond tapped his chin a bit. _"That is quite troublesome. I'll be more careful next time."_ He walked out of the room and looked back at Roxas.

_"I suggest you hurry now. You guys just arrived in a new world."_

* * *

The Gummi ship landed in a thick dark forest. There were many ominous-looking trees, as if they would suddenly move. Kairi and Namine clung to each other as their knees shook a bit. _"Like Somebody, like Nobody,"_ Ventus commented, chuckling a bit. Roxas snorted quietly at the joke.

Sora gaped at their surroundings. It was really gloomy and didn't suit the heroes peppy attitude at all. "Wow, I've never seen a darker place than this," Then he remembered the Realm of Darkness. "Nevermind what I said." His Nobody turned to observe the area. _'Where are we?' _He asked Ventus. The other blond raised an eyebrow at that. _"Why ask me?"_

_'You seem to recognize the place,'_ The blond shrugged. The ghostly boy bit his lip in thought. A memory of a black-haired girl and himself running away from dark creatures. _"This place is… Dwarf Woodlands, where a princess named Snow White lives."_ Ventus glanced at the other side of the clearing. _"There's supposed to be a small hut outside of the forest. I'm pretty sure you can ask the dwarves for directions."_

Roxas stared. _'Anything else?'_

_"I'm not sure if everything's the same after a decade, though. Oh, and I don't know anything about the Heartless reaching this place. The last time I was here, Unversed roamed around."_ At the exact time he uttered those words, the said creatures appeared; ready to strike the five Keybearers. The Nobody growled to himself and gave a small glare to Ventus.

_'You just had to say it, didn't you.'_

_"My bad,"_ The transparent blond scratched his head. _"Well, at least there aren't Mad Treants."_

The said Unversed materialized. The Nobody gave him a full-on glare. He laughed shakily. _"I'll shut up now."_

The pyromaniac summoned his Keyblade, alight with fire. He smirked at the monsters. "Burn, baby, burn!" The fire around his weapon moved to his command and shot off to the enemies, even though he didn't swing it.

Riku stared at his Keyblade as he unleashed a Dark Firaga at the Neoshadows that joined the fight. "What was that, Lea?" The redhead grinned at him. "Just a little special feature of my Keyblade."

Namine and Kairi were back-to-back; none looking like the frightened little girls from before. The duo shared a look before performing a joint attack at the Bruiser behind Sora. The blonde was the first to strike.

"Binding Strike!"

Kairi followed. "Blizzaga!"

Their move looked like a huge chunk of ice headed straight for the enemies. The pair blinked at what they did. Kairi spoke, "That didn't seem like our attack anymore."

"Do you think it's a new move**(1)**?" Namine commented.

They hugged and squealed. "Awesome!"

The brunet gave them a thumbs up. "Thanks for that one." He turned to the Mad Treant in front of him. Strong winds started to gather at the tip of his blade. Ventus, who was at the sidelines, manipulated his strike a bit. The brunet intended to do an Aeroga, the transparent blond turned it into something else. The wind that was released was so powerful that it created a twister of sorts.

Riku and Lea, who were right behind him, gawked in shock. "What the hell was that?" The silveret exclaimed. The brunet smiled sheepishly. "I guess I let loose too much." The pyromaniac shook his head. _'Where have I seen that move before?'_ A memory resurfaced in his mind.

_"Say, Lea." The redhead looked at his opponent. _

_"What is it, Ventus?"_

_"I know this is a mock fight, but lemme show you something I've been working on." Wind gathered at his hands and he summoned giant twisters. "What do you think?"_

_He and Isa gaped at his move. Lea was the first to snap out of his shock. "Huh? What's it called?"_

_"Tornado." The blond grinned. He dispelled it and brought out the wooden sword again. "Let's continue, shall we?"_

Roxas slightly pouted at Ventus. _'How come you helped Sora?'_ The other laughed a bit. _"That's because you don't need my help anymore. You can do the same all by yourself. His elements are different that's why I interfered."_

The dual-wielding blond tightened his grip on Two Become One and Bond of Flames. _'What do I have to do?'_

_"Just concentrate the wind on your hands."_ He did as told. Light gathered around his Keyblades. _"When it's good to go, say—"_ "Tornado!" The two yelled in unison. Many swirls of vortex appeared, completely absorbing the countless Neoshadows and some of the Mad Treants.

Lea focused on the energy in his hands and released the flames. "Mega Flare!" A huge explosion occured, burning the Unversed and Heartless to crisp. A dark portal opened and out came the Dancer and Gambler Nobodies. He was caught off guard. "What?!" _'Why are Demyx and Luxord's croonies here?'_ He raised his blade, ready to strike back. _'Looks like they're still following Superior Mansex.'_

The silveret did a surprise assault on them. "Strike Raid!" He tossed his Way to Dawn, effectively eliminating some of them.

However, there were too many enemies for the six of them to handle. The transparent blond came to their rescue. _"Light gather, Faith!"_ Swords of light came and spread out, disintegrating their enemies and making some of the lesser Nobodies flee on sight. The group shared confused looks, except for Roxas who was staring incredulously at Ventus.

"Was that you, Kairi?" The brunet asked her. "You _are_ a princess of Heart, and that was a cool light move." She shook her head. "Not me. Namine?" The female Nobody smiled but disagreed.

"Lea?" The pyromaniac crossed his arms and stared at his Keyblade on the floor. "Me and my Blazing Glory only play with fire, got it memorized?"

"Riku?"

"Light's not my specialty."

They all turned to stare at the blond who was telepathically conversing with Ven. _'How come you didn't tell me you had a move like that?'_

The ghost-like male shrugged. _"I only fight in emergencies. You guys couldn't handle a mob that big without formal Keyblade training."_

Seeing that the Nobody wasn't going to say something anytime soon, the other five just whispered to themselves. "Maybe it was Roxas," Sora commented. The red-haired man took a glance at the pouting blond who was staring at the ground. "I don't think so." He stood up.

"Let's go and do our job now. Can't have any mobs like that ambush us again." The rest did as told. Roxas sighed to himself and hid his Keyblades.

As Ventus watched the six walk away, he frowned a bit. _'Why did the Unversed come when I said so?' _He stared at the pitch black sky, feeling the cold breeze. He took out his Wayfinder and wore it like an amulet.

_'Is it because we're connected, Vanitas?'_ He soon followed the group.

If he stayed longer he could've caught sight of Myde and Rodul who stepped out of the shadows, led by a handful of Dancers and Gamblers. The two nodded to each other and went further into the forest, surely to wreck more havoc.

* * *

**(1)** Kairi and Namine performed **Deep Freeze**. In BBS, when you meld Binding Strike and Blizzaga, you'll get one. So hey, maybe it'll be accidentally pulled off if the two commands combine when executed.

* * *

**Yeah, Ventus FTW! **

**Been a while since I last updated, huh. Oh, well. Nothing much to say here except for the fact that I failed on the fighting scene.**

**And no Xertha, Xion, and Zack here. Aww… well, they'll appear next chapter.**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


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